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REMAINS 



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OF 



REV. JOSHUA WELLS DOWNING 



LATE OF THE NEW-ENGLAND CONFERENCE OF THE 
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



WITH A BRIEF MEMOIR. 



" In thy divine abode 
Change finds no patliway, mem'ry no dark trace, 
And, O I bright victory— death by love no place." 



EDITED BY 

ELIJAH H. DOWNING, A. M. 



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NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY G. LANE & P. P. SANBFORD, 

FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OF^^'E, 
200 MULBERRY-STREET. 



/. CoUord, Printer. 
1841. 






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"Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1841, by 
G. Lane & P. P. Sandford, in the Clerk^s Office of the District 
Court of the Southern District of New-York." 



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TO THE 

REV. ELIJAH HEDDING, D. D., 

BISHOP OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 

THIS VOLUME, 

THE WRITINCJS OF ONE IN WHOSE FATHER'S FAMILY HE WAS EVER AN 
INTIMATE AND HONOURED FRIEND, 

IS INSCRIBED, 
AS AN EXPRESSION OF RESPECT AND AFFECTION, 

BY THE EDITOR. 



^ 



PREFACE 



The lamented author whose Uterary remains are 
here imbodied neither designed nor prepared his 
writings for pubUcation. They appear from the press 
in compUance with the wishes of those who received 
the word of Hfe from his hps during the brief period 
of his ministry ; and in the fulfilment of what the 
editor has felt to be a sacred duty devolving on 
him since the decease of his beloved brother. It is 
difficult, as must be evident to the reader, to prepare 
for publication the manuscripts of one who is no 
more ; and whatever may be the care bestowed on a 
posthumous work, it must appear with imperfections. 
In the selection and preparation of the sermons and 
other writings which constitute the present volume, 
the editor has laboured under an almost painful sense 
of his responsibiUty — under the pressure of feeble 
health and afflictive circumstances ; he has done the 
best he could, and now submits the work in the 



D PREFACE. 

humble expectation that, with the blessing of God, it 
will prove not to have been labour in vain. 

For valuable assistance in the revision of the fol- 
lowing pages, the editor is indebted to the kindness 
of his esteemed friend, the Rev. Edward Otheman. 

New-York, October, 1841. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



CONTENTS 



Page 
Mbuoir ..^ ^ • 11 



SERMONS. 

Sermon I. We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. — 

2Cor.v,l 24 

n. They cannot recompense thee. — Lukexiv, 14 40 

III. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 

the Lord of hosts. — Zech. iv, 6 64 

IV. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him 1 or if thy 

transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto , 

himl— -Jobxxxv,6 66 

V. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living 

God.--Heb. X, 31 76 

NOTES OF SERMONS. 

L If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.— 

Exod. xxxiii, 15 _ 88 

II. Without God in the world.— Eph. ii, 12 91 

III. My people doth not consider. — Isaiah i, 3 94 

rV. Follow me .—Matt, ix, 9 98 

V. Many are called, but few are chosen. — ^Matt. xxii, 14 103 

VI. Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. — ^John v, 40 105 

Vn. They hated me without a cause. — ^John xv, 25 109 

VIII. What could have been done more to my vmeyard, that I 

have not done in it 1 — Isaiahv,4 112 



8 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Page 

IX. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost : in whom 
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which 
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, 
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. — 2 Cor. 
iv,3,4 116 

X. The common people heard him gladly. — Mark 2di, 37 119 

XL If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let 
him become a fool, that he may be wise. — 1 Corinthians 
iii, 18 122 

XII. These that have turned the world upside down, are come 
hither also. — ^Acts xvii, 6 125 

XIII. I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my 
brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. — Rom. ix, 3 . . 128 

XIV. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye 
also appear with him in glory. — Col. iii, 4 131 

XV. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great 
recompense of reward. — Heb. x, 35 134 

XVI. Wo to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! 
good were it for that man if he had never been bom. — Mark 
xiv, 21 138 

XVII. Sporting themselves with their own deceivings. — 2 Peter 

ii, 13 140 

XTX S^"^ • * * exceeding sinful. — ^Rom. vii, 13 143,146 

XX. It is a little one. — Gen. xix, 20 149 

XXI. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. — Rev. xxii, 11 .- 152 

XXII. Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings 1 — 
Isaiah xxxiii, 14 155 

XXIII. Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are gone out. — ^Matt. 
xxv,8 158 

XXIV. Thus saith the Lord, Set thy house in order : for thou 
shalt die, and not live. — Isaiah xxxviii, 1 161 

XXV. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go 
hence, and be no more. — Psalm xxxix, 13 164 

XXVI. Neither can they die any more. — Luke xx, 36 167 

XXVII. We shall be like him.— 1 John iii, 2 171 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 9 

Pago 

XXVIII. We look not at the things which are seen, but at the 

things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are 
temporal ; but the things which are not seen are eternal. — 
2 Cor. iv, 18 175 

XXIX. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses : but we wDl 
remember the name of the Lord our God. — Psalm xx, 7 ... 178 

XXX. I bring you good tidings of great joy. — Luke ii, 10 181 

XXXI. With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you 
before I suflfer. — Luke xxii, 15 184 

XXXII. He that winneth souls is wise. — Prov. xi, 30 188 

XXXIIL Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman 
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of 
truth.— 2 Tim. ii, 15 191 

XXXIV. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another. — 
Rom. xiii, 8 194 

XXXV. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. — 
Gal. vi, 7 198 

XXXVI. We will not have this man to reign over us. — Luke 
xix, 14 2J)1 

XXXVII. If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your 
sins. — John viii, 24 204 

XXXVIIT. If thou bo wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if 

thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. — Prov. ix, 12 208 

XXXIX. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God. — Psalm 

cxxxix, 19 212 

XL. If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful : he cannot deny 

himself.— 2 Tim. ii, 13 215 

XLI. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? — Job xxi, 17 219 

XLII. How shall I give thee up "!— Hosea xi, 8 223 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Hostility to Truth : An Oration pronounced at Brown Uni- 
versity, Sept. 3, 1834 228 

Valedictory Address : Delivered at Salem, Massachusetts, 

June 3, 1838 232 



10 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Page 
Intellectual Improvement : A Lecture delivered in the Odeon, 

Boston, September 9, 1838, before an Association of Sabbath- 
School teachers 236 

Speech at a meeting held in Broomfield-street church, Boston, 
March 2, 1839, on the occasion of the death of the Rev. Dr. 
Pisk, president of Wesleyan University 259 

LETTERS. 

To his Parents 265, 266, 267, 270, 271, 272, 274, 275, 279, 

281, 283,286,289, 297 

To his Brother 277, 282, 291, 297, 309, 311, 313, 328 

To Miss Mary Ann Mudge 302, 303, 321, 324 

To the Rev. Abel Stevens 306, 314, 315, 316, 320 

To Mr. James Pool, jr 273 

To Mr. Oliver A. Mudge 326 

To Miss Sarah Purbeck 325 



REMAINS 



OF THE 



REV. JOSHUA WELLS DOWNING, A. M. 



MEMOIR. 

In laying before the public this selection from the 
writings of a departed brother, it may be proper that I 
should give a brief and unadorned view of his life and 
death. It would not become me to dwell on his charac- 
ter, and little can be said in sketching the progress of a 
career which has so soon ended. His life was, compara- 
tively, but a life of promise. He was taken away, as 
many, alas, have been, in the bright morning of his days, 
and the short space of four years witnessed the com- 
mencement and the close of his ministerial labours. 

Joshua Wells Downing was born in Lynn, Mass., 
March 5, 1813. His parents were members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church : they are now no more. It 
may be truly said of them, that their lives were in unison 
with their Christian profession ; they exerted a happy 
influence over the circles in which they moved, and, as 
Christian parents, sought by their prayers and pious 
instructions to lead their children with them in the path 
to heaven. Of those children, eight in number, five died 
in infancy; the writer of this sketch is now the only sur- 
vivor. The November following his birth, Joshua was 



12 MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

bereft of his mother. The loss of a mother is, to her 
surviving offspring, whether in their early or more mature 
years, one of the most severe and afflictive bereavements. 
Who can guide them " in the slippery paths of youth," 
shield them from the evils which are in the world, and 
lead them to the Saviour, like a pious mother ? In the 
present instance, however, that mother's place was sup- 
plied, in the order of a kind Providence, by another, who 
is still living. 

In September, 1830, at the age of seventeen, Joshua 
became a student of Brown University. At that time it 
was his expectation, on leaving college, to devote himself 
to the profession of law ; but his views and feelings in 
regard to all earthly pursuits were soon after very mate- 
rially changed. He had connected himself as a teacher 
with one of the Methodist sabbath schools in Providence, 
and it was while endeavouring to teach his class the 
truths pertaining to salvation, that he himself was taught 
of God. He now saw and felt his insufficiency for the 
responsible work in which he had engaged. He could 
not, he reflected, teach that of which he himself w^as 
ignorant ; and if a personal interest in Christ was of im- 
portance to others, it was, he justly reasoned, of no less 
importance to himself. He was led by the Holy Spirit 
to view his guilt and danger while unreconciled to God ; 
he sought the pardon of his sins, and, in penitence and 
faith, was enabled to give himself to the Saviour in an 
everlasting covenant. Not long after, he made a public 
profession of his faith in Christ, and was admitted to the 
Methodist church in Providence, then under the pasto- 
ral care of the Rev. D. Kilburn. From this time his 
course was " onward and upward." True, doubts and 
fears pursued him far on his way ; but they could not 
retard his progress. It was manifest to the brethren with 
whom he was associated that he was growing in grace, 



MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 13 

and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour. For a 
view of his Christian experience, and for his own 
expression of his thoughts and feelings before and after 
entering the ministry, the reader is referred to the extracts 
from his letters in this volume. 

In the second year of his collegiate course he was 
called to mourn the loss of an affectionate and only sister, 
Mrs. Mary D. Pool. Death's sad messenger had not 
entered our dwelling since he took away our mother ; 
and we were then too young to know the dreadful nature 
of his commission, or to remember his ^dsit. While we 
were fondly hoping that our little circle would remain 
unbroken for many a year to come, one of our number 
declined and died. We never knew before what it is to 
part with one endeared to us by every tie of kindred and 
affection. We could not but feel, when forced to part 
with Mary ;- — she was an only sister, and when she died, 
we suffered the agonies of a first hereavement. Yet we 
rejoiced in the assurance that it was to her a happy 
change. 

** They that saw her look in death, 
No more may fear to die !'* 

My brother was graduated September 3, 1834. His 
Commencement Oration is placed in the present collec- 
tion. He received his second degree in course, Septem- 
ber, 1837. 

His duty in regard to entering the Christian ministry 
had been to him, from the time of his conversion, a sub- 
ject of anxious reflection and fervent prayer. And well it 
might have been. The question. Does the Saviour require 
me to preach the gospel 1 is one of solemn and moment- 
ous import. The interests of the individual for time and 
for eternity are affected by its decision. Satisfied at 
length that it was his duty to become a minister of Christ, 
he joined the New-England Conference at its session in 



14 MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Lynn, June, 1835, and was stationed at Randolph, Mass. 
On account of the unfriendly disposition manifested by 
the society in that place to the economy of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, after a few months he was removed 
by his presiding elder (Rev. B. Otheman) to Salem, Mass. 
He was stationed at the latter place at the following ses- 
sion of the conference in 1836. At the conference of 1837 
he was ordained to the office of deacon, and was again sta- 
tioned at Salem. Our brethren in that city were involved, 
and had been for a long season, in difficulties and trials 
such as have seldom fallen to the lot of their sister churches. 
This rendered his situation, during the two and a half 
years of his pastoral connection with them, one of anxiety 
and toil. Yet he was sustained and encouraged by the 
assurance, that his labours were not in vain in the Lord. 
The Head of the church smiled on his effi)rts, and many 
souls were given him as seals of his ministry. 

At the conference of 1838 he was appointed to the 
charge of the church in Broomfield-street, Boston, one of 
the largest and oldest of the Methodist churches in New- 
England. During his ministry in Boston, he held a high 
place in the esteem and affections of the people, and we 
have reason to rejoice in the reflection that he was ren- 
dered to them a blessing. 

After receiving his appointment as pastor of Broomfield- 
street church, he was married, in July, 1838, to Miss 
Mary Ann Mudge, of Lynn. It was a happy union ; alas, 
that it was to be of so short duration ! 

The following month he was called to suffer another 
distressing bereavement, and, to him, the last. Death 
again found his way to our family, and we were left to 
mourn the removal of our affectionate and beloved father. 
For several of the latter years of his life he had sustained 
the relation of a local preacher in the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, and it was his delight to preach " the un- 



MEMOIR OP REV. J. W. DOWNING. Ifli 

searchable riches of Christ." He died August 14, 1838, 
happy and triumphant. 

At the conference of 1839 my brother was ordained to 
the office of elder, and was returned to the Broomfield- 
street church. This brings us to the closing scene of his 
ministry and life. 

His health, which was constitutionally feeble, had been 
for some time sinking under labours which he had not the 
strength to sustain. During the session of the conference 
he was actively engaged in the discharge of the duties 
assigned him as a member of that body. Love for the 
cause of Christ seemed to urge him on, while his pallid 
countenance and emaciated frame were the sad indications 
that he was not long to be spared to his brethren and to 
the church. At the close of the session, he was intending 
to travel for a few weeks, in the hope that rest and a 
change of scene might tend to the restoration of his 
health. But while making the arrangements for his 
journey, he was attacked by hemorrhage of the lungs, 
and was soon laid on his bed of sickness. It was not 
the privilege of the writer to be with his dear brother 
during the last trying scene, nor for many months pre- 
vious ; the letters he has received, however, from those 
who were with him, bear witness to the Christian calm- 
ness and resignation with which he finished his course. 
The summons to die came when he looked not for it, but, 
through the grace given unto him, it found him prepared. 
Most earnestly did he desire to live, it is true ; it was 
not, however, that he feared to die, but that he might 
labour a little longer in the vineyard of his blessed Master. 

" During the whole of his sickness," says his bereaved 
companion, in a letter written soon after his death, " he 
expressed a strong desire to recover, that he might he useful. 
The thought of giving up prea<3hing was very painful to 
him. It seemed to him, he at one time said to me, worse 



16' MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

than death. At another time he said, ' You know that I 
never preached for money nor for fame ; and it does not 
seem possible that the Lord will take me away now, just 
as I have begun to be useful, and when my whole soul is 
in the work.' He often said to me, ' If it were not for 
you and the church I could give up the thoughts of getting 
well very easily.' He had much faith in prayer, and was 
very anxious that his friends should pray that he might be 
raised up with health sufficient to preach the gospel. He 
took great delight in hearing the Bible read. ' There are 
two things,' he remarked to me one day, * which have 
been very sweet to me.' I asked what they were. He 
replied, * Secret prayer, and hearing you read from the 
Bible, especially the Psalms ; it seems as though they 
were written for me.' After his last attack of hemorrhage, 
which was very severe, I asked him to tell me in a few 
words (upon the slate) how he felt in regard to himself. 
He wrote, ' Sometimes think that I must die : generally 
think I shall be raised up again — ^better than ever. Am 
not ready to die, but feel a calmness about it truly wonder- 
ful. Have no doubt but that I love God.' He had several 
severe temptations during his sickness, but they were of 
short continuance, and he could generally say that he felt 
resigned and happy. He did not feel at any time that he 
should die. When informed on Sunday morning that he 
was dying, he said, ' It cannot be that I am dying ; it does 
not seem to me that my work is done ; yet I am perfectly 
willing, if it is the Lord's will.' He then addressed his 
physician, thanking him for his kind attentions, and exhort- 
ing him to be faithful in the service of God. * Say the 

same in substance,' he continued, * to Mr. ; (a young 

man who had been very kind to him ;) beg him from me 
to repent and attend to the concerns of his soul. Tell 
him that there is one thing for which I have wished to 
live — that I might set an example to the young men of 



MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 17 

Boston. He then spoke to his friends separately, ex- 
horting them to nfeet him in heaven, and expressing for 
them the same strong affection which he ever exhibited 
through life. I asked him if he had any message for 
Elijah, to which he replied, ' Tell him I love him much, 
that I always loved him — to be faithful — to do all the good 
he can ; that I should be glad to have his health to try.' 
Brother King was requested to pray ; during the prayer, 
his sufferings, from difficulty of respiration, were very 
great. The physician, feeling his pulse, told him he 
thought he would live but a few minutes. He, however, 
afterward revived, and lingered until four o'clock the fol- 
lowing morning, during which time he appeared to suffer 
greatly, and was much wandering." 

The following extract from a letter to the editor, by the 
Rev. D. S. King, gives an additional view of his last 
hours : — 

" His last day with us was the holy sabbath. Previous 
to that, although very weak, he had entertained hopes of 
surviving his sickness, and resuming his labours. On the 
morning of that day he was informed by his physician. Dr. 
A. B. Snow, that he could not recover, and must soon 
depart. He then very deliberatively took leave of his 
friends, and gave directions concerning his earthly re- 
mains ; after which he added : — 

" * The first two or three days I did not think my sick- 
ness serious ; and since then, I have not thought it unto 
death : I expected a year or two of suspense, and then to 
finish (my course) with joy, and enter into eternal life.' 

" ' The doctor has said 1 ought not to spend a great deal 
of time praying, because I have not the strength ; but I 
have taken peculiarly sweet delight in praying and hear- 
ing prayer, and in hearing God's word read.' 

" In the course of the forenoon he said, ' I want to tell 
brother King' 1 drew near his bedside, and he con- 



18 MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

tinned, ' You know it is with much labour, and fear, and 
trembling that I have preached. It has pleased the Lord 
to give me some success in the work. This, with my 
feelings, gives me confidence that I am his child. I have 
the witness of the Spirit that I am a child of God.' 

" Wishing to know, in the afternoon, what his views 
and feelings were, I remarked to him that Dr. Payson 
said, in his last sickness, that ' the Sun of righteousness 
had been drawing nearer and nearer, and now filled the 
whole hemisphere ; and that the river of death appeared 
but as an insignificant rill, that might be crossed at a single 
step.' I then asked how it seemed to him. He answered, 

* It is very small — and all daylight.' 

" In the time of church service in the afternoon I asked 
him what would be his message to the congregation at 
Broomfield-street, could he be permitted to preach to them 
again. After a short pause he answered : ' I would say 
to the impenitent. Repent ; I am sent from the grave to 
tell you ! I would say to the church. Be faithful — at the 
peril of your present peace, at the peril of a peaceful 
death, and as you value the felicity and glory of the eternal 
world.' Here he paused, and then added, ' But they would 
not FEEL it.' 

" All the remarks here attributed to your brother were 
uttered in broken accents, and with the utmost effort. 
And they are all in his own language, as I noted it at the 
time, not for publication, but as the last testament of one 
I loved. 

"It seemed to him a mysterious providence that he 
should be called from his labours so soon, after having 
spent so much time in preparing to be useful. He in- 
dulged an ardent desire to live that he might do good. 
Nevertheless he could say in the language of his Master, 

* Not as I will, but as thou wilt.' 

" His toils are over. He has gone to be with Christ. 



MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 19 

We may weep, not for him, but for ourselves and for the 
world. The family bereavement you know. The church 
has lost a shining light, and the patrons of literature a 
valuable treasure." 

He died in Boston, at the house of his respected friend, 
Thomas Patten. In the bosom of that kind family all that 
could have been done for his restoration and comfort was 
gladly done, and their kindness will ever be remembered 
with gratitude. For a part of the last twenty-four hours 
his mind was wandering ; yet even then, when drawn, by 
those around him, to the interesting truths of religion, it 
exhibited the clearness and vigour of other days. Before 
his departure he sank into a state of unconsciousness, 
appearing like one in a quiet sleep. At four o'clock in 
the morning, July 15, 1839, he expired, amid weeping 
friends and afflicted brethren. Could their wishes and 
prayers have availed, his name would still stand enrolled 
on the lists of the church militant, and, for years to come, 
he would remain at his post as a watchman on her walls. 
But God, in his infinite wisdom, called him hence ; and 
he was called, we trust, to receive the reward reserved 
for the faithful when admitted to the church triumphant. 

His funeral services were attended by a large con- 
course, on the afternoon of the following day, at the 
church in Broomfield-street. An address was delivered by 
the Rev. T. C. Pierce, and it was an occasion of deep and 
mournful interest. The corpse was thence conveyed to 
Lynn, where, on the following afternoon, the funeral so- 
lemnities were observed at the First Methodist church. 
The Rev. C. K. True delivered the address. The burial 
service was read at the grave, and his mortal remains 
were consigned to their last and peaceful resting-place by 
the side of nearly all his kindred. " I know that he shall 
rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Yes, 
thanks be to God, the light of immortality shines upon 



20 MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the grave ! There is One who hath sublimely said, " I am 
the resurrection and the life." He rose from the dead. 
He liveth and reigneth for ever. And he hath given his 
followers the thrilling assurance, " Because I live, ye 
shall live also." 

Having thus followed his beloved brother to the end of 
his brief career, the writer may here be allowed to intro- 
duce the testimony of others, showing the character he 
sustained, and the estimation in which he was held. 

The annexed extracts are from articles which appeared 
in Z ion's Herald. The first is the tribute of a classmate, 
a gentleman of another religious persuasion; and the 
second is from the pen of the Rev. R. W. Allen, of the 
Providence Conference. 

" While at college, Brother Downing was distinguished 
as a scholar and a Christian. He possessed a well-dis- 
ciplined mind, and a heart thoroughly imbued with divine 
^race. His attainments in general literature were very 
respectable, and his acquaintance with the several branches 
taught in college was both varied and deep. His powers 
of mind and uniform good sense were acknowledged 
wherever they were known. He was open, sincere, and 
upright ; always spoke the undisguised sentiments of his 
heart, and possessed a quick perception, united to a sound 
judgment. His conversation was always sober and to the 
purpose. His spirit and conduct secured to him the high 
estimation of his teachers and fellow-students. In a word, 
he was a sound scholar, an affectionate friend, and a de- 
vout Christian. By his college friends he will be fondly 
remembered, and his loss will be deeply deplored. 

" His moral character was ' a living epistle, known and 
read of all men.' He is deservedly lamented by the church 
and society for whom he faithfully laboiured, and by the 
religious denomination of which he was a useful and 
distinguished member. But he is gone. And the very 



MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 21 

circumstance of his early death will give a new interest 
to his memory, and thereby new force to his example. 
Just at that age when the painter would have wished to 
fix his likeness, and the lover of poetry would delight to 
contemplate him, in the fair morning of his virtues, the 
full spring blossom of his hopes, — just at that age hath 
death set the seal of eternity upon him, and the beautiful 
hath been made permanent !" 

" I have been acquainted with Brother Downing," says 
Mr. Allen, " since 1834. I always found him a brother, 
a friend, a Christian, and a worthy and intelligent com- 
panion and associate. He seemed always far removed 
from ostentation and pride, and possessed, apparently, but 
little confidence in his own abilities. He exhibited a 
practical comment on the words of the apostle, * But in 
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than them- 
selves.' He remarked to me while on our way to the 
conference held at Nantucket, when he was about being 
examined by the committee, before admission into the 
New-England Conference, * I am about to be examined, 
as my two years of probation have expired, but I don't 
know what examination I shall pass. Some, I suppose, 
think that, because I have been through college, there 
will be no difficulty ; but it seems to me that I could com- 
pass all 1 ever learned in college in a nut-shell. What I 
have learned has only laid a foundation for future acqui- 
sitions in knowledge. People are mistaken when they 
think that, because a man has been through college, he 
knows every thing, and is proud of it. I feel that I have 
just begun to learn.' .... 

" Brother Downing took a deep interest in the subject 
of ministerial qualifications. He laboured hard to pro- 
mote the interests of the ' Junior Preachers' Society,' 
connected with the New-England Conference. Respect- 
ing the proposed theological institution he felt a lively 



22 MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

interest. Many will recollect the pathos with which he 
expressed himself at our last annual conference. After 
urging in an eloquent manner the importance of imme- 
diately establishing such an institution, he exclaimed, by 
way of allusion to an objection often urged, ' I solemnly 
believe, under God, we can have an institution of this 
kind, which will cherish and promote the piety of young 
men, instead of proving detrimental to it.'* Little did I 
think that his labours at this time, in behalf of a noble 
and much-needed institution, would be his last ! . . . . 
Zion is truly called to mourn. One of her most promising 
sons has fallen ; one from whom she might reasonably 
have expected much in future years." 

The following is from the memoir prepared by the 
committee of the New-England Conference for insertion 
in their Minutes : — 

" Brother Downing possessed an intellect of a high 
order, and his preaching was distinguished for sound 
views and just discrimination, perspicuous and elegant 
diction, and a decided, earnest, and pathetic manner. 
Ardent zeal for Christ, and for the salvation of souls, ap- 
peared in all his public and private ministrations. His 
piety was an ever-burning flame, and was manifested even 
more brightly at the domestic altar than under the inspir- 
ing associations of the temple." 

His decease was thus noticed by the editors of the 
Christian Advocate and Journal : — 

" Rev. J. W. Downing — dead. — Zion's Herald of the 
17th inst. comes to us with melancholy tidings. The loss 
we now mourn will be felt deeply and widely. Brother 

* There is a division of opinion, as is well known, in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, in regard to the expediency of establishing theo- 
logical institutions. The publishers of this work, as agents for the 
Church, do not hold themselves responsible for the views which were 
entertained on this question by the subject of this memoir. — ^Ed. 



MEMOIR OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 23 

Downing was, with Dr. Fisk, a graduate of Brown Uni- 
versity, and, like him, exhibited in his life and character 
the rare union of distinguished literary accomplishments 
with a rich and heavenly unction. We may well apply 
to him his own beautiful and touching thought in a eulogy 
upon Dr. Fisk, * His Alma Mater will weep as she records 
his name upon the list of her departed worthies.' We 
sympathize with our brethren of the New-England Con- 
ference. Already, since the birth of 1839, there have 
fallen at their posts three of her worthies — Fisk, and 
Stone, and Downing." 

Such was my dear and only brother, of whose life an 
imperfect sketch has now been given. He died young — 
but, O ! how soothing and animating the reflection, he 
died in the faith of the Son of God, in the active service 
of his Redeemer, and in full prospect of a happy immor- 
tality. Well may we cherish his memory with fond de- 
light. Well may his bright example, his peaceful depart- 
ure, and his early grave, incite us to " run with patience 
the race that is set before us, looking imto Jesus, the 
author and finisher of our faith." 



24 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



SERMON I.* 

We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
were dissolved, we have a building of god, a house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 cor. v, 1. 

When writing these words, the apostle was looking 
forward to his own dissolution. He knew that he must 
soon die, for he saw that death was common to all. The 
fathers to whom he had looked up for instruction, and 
whose gray locks were a crown of glory unto them, had 
long since vacated their seats, and descended to " the 
house appointed for all living." The companions of his 
youth, those who had associated with him in the heyday 
of life, who had participated in his ambitious, aspiring 
plans, and mingled with him in scenes of festivity and 
mirth, had many of them gone before him to the eternal 
world. The arrows of death had flown all around him, 
and he had seen many cut down on his right hand and on 
his left ; he knew that his turn must soon come, and that 
the fatal, unerring dart, would shortly find its home in his 
bosom. 

Death, he knew also, was God's appointment in conse- 
quence of sin. " It is appointed unto men once to die," 
was his own solemn assertion. More clearly than any of 
his brethren had he shown the relation between sin and 
death, as the great relation of the cause to the effect : 
" As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by 
sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have 
sinned." He had included himself and all our race under 
the appellation of sinners, who must suffer the penalty of 
a violated law. 

* Preached at Salem, February 12, 1837, on the occasion of the 
death of Mrs. Martha Pool. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 25 

He knew that he must soon die, for he felt the work- 
insfs of death in his members. His excessive labours for 
the cause of Christ and the welfare of his brethren had 
already undermined his constitution ; his fatigues and 
manifold sufferings had impaired his strength, and dimi- 
nished his energies. He saw that nature must soon sink 
under the weight of his bodily infirmities, and that should 
he escape the martyr's stake, it would be only to find a 
premature death in his busy round of duties. 

In thus anticipating death, however, the apostle was 
fully persuaded of two great truths, which he has expressed 
in the words of our text. 1. That he possessed an imma- 
terial principle which would survive the dissolution of the 
body, and endure to all eternity — a principle so noble in 
its nature and in its effects, that he speaks of it as con- 
stituting the human being, though the body be dead. The 
apostle was no skeptic, though he had drunk deeply from 
the fountains of philosophy. He was no materialist, but 
rejoiced in the consciousness that while the outward man 
perished, the inward man was renewed day by day. 
2. That an eternal residence was prepared for him (and 
all the followers of Christ) in heaven. Of this heaven and 
its unchanging glories he had very just conceptions. 
Though the joys reserved for those who love God could 
not be displayed to human sight, or be comprehended by 
sinful minds, yet God had revealed them unto him by his 
Spirit. He had even been " caught up to the third heaven," 
to gaze upon its dazzling glories — to survey its unbounded 
plains of happiness — to walk its golden streets — to listen 
to the choral songs of saints and angels around the throne, 
and then let down again to earth to toil and suffer till his 
Master should call him home to rest. No wonder, then, 
that the anticipation of death was entirely divested of 
gloom and fear, and that he was even joyful as the taber- 
nacle of flesh was dissolving. These ravishing truths 

2 



26 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

had taken entire possession of his soul, and had ^riven 
out every feeling of despondency and distnist. Never, 
perhaps, my hearers, did more triumphant language burst 
from the lips of the apostle unless when, in the immediate 
prospect of his martyrdom, he exclaimed, "I am now ready 
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I 
have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a 
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but 
unto all them also that love his appearing." 

We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made toith 
hands, eternal in the heavens. 

Let us very briefly consider, 

L The source from which this knowledge is derived. 

That the soul is immortal cannot be demonstrated from 
the works or changes of nature. With the assistance of 
the Bible we may trace many analogies from nature which 
will lead us to believe in this important doctrine. But 
nature is a mystery which the guiding hand of revelation 
alone can teach us to unravel. Nature's light, aside from 
that which beams from heaven, falling upon the darkness 
with which we are surrounded, renders it but the more 
appalling. 

The changes of nature, which we call the seasons, 
might seem at first to afford us a ray of light in pursuing 
our inquiries concerning the destiny of man. Spring re- 
turns again to the same soil when the desolations of winter 
are over, and summer yearly clothes the same valleys with 
their robes of green. And will not " spring visit the 
mouldering urn?''* Nature is silent here. The old man 
sees that his spring is past for ever, and that he can be- 
hold the ripened sweets of summer only in his offspring. 
The vegetable world also sends forth no light to cheer us. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 27 

The seed is placed in the earth ; it germinates, and a fair 
plant appears, which arrives at maturity and decays ; but 
the seed from which it sprung, decayed to nourish it. 
Thus man arrives at his maturity, accomplishes the objects 
of his physical existence, and perishes. What have you 
learned from this analogy but the fact, that generations 
succeed each other in regular and quick succession, and 
that the father must soon lend his ashes to cover those of 
his children ! 

The chrysalis, however, holds out to us a glimmering 
light. This is the first beam which falls upon us ; but 
does it not in the end both disappoint and mock us ? With 
wonder and delight we behold the worm enveloping itself 
in its oval case, remaining dormant for a season, and then 
bursting its covering, and appearing in all the variegated 
beauty and gaudy colouring of the butterfly. Will not the 
dead burst from the grave and appear on earth again with 
renewed beauty ? May we not hope that the human body, 
the fairest of earthly forms, possesses such powers as to 
outrival the grovelling worm ? But does it remain dormant ? 
Alas ! as soon as the warmth of life has left it, corruption 
seizes it ; scarce has the parting breath heaved the bosom 
before the work of dissolution goes on in every member. 
In a few days we must remove from our sight, and biuy 
in the earth that form, now loathsome, which we once 
delighted to hold in our embraces, and clasp to our bosoms ! 
Still, restless and anxious, man walks forth amid the tombs 
to see if any of their inmates have shaken off coi¥Tiption. 
Have any thrown off the drapery of death ? Have any 
burst the clods of the valley 1 Alas ! his only answer is 
the murmuring breeze, mournfully waving the rank grass 
of the grave. But, anxious inquirer, call memory to thine 
aid, and let history be thy assistant. Thus accompanied, 
go back to the days of the patriarchs. " Your fathers, 
where are they ?" Have any of them arisen ? Alas ! the 



28 REMAINS OP REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

unbroken silence of the grave stops our inquiries. O! 
have not these long sleepers been dormant long enough to 
awake, if indeed they will ever be reanimated? Thus 
man returns from his search, bewildered and despondent. 
The light which he has followed has led him into more 
inextricable mazes, and he returns no more to wander, but 
to weep and die. 

Philosophy, after all its researches and discoveries, 
cannot tell us what is the essence of mind, or whether it 
be indeed distinct from the essence of matter. It can 
enumerate the different faculties or powers of the mind, 
and show us the laws by which it is governed, but cannot 
tell us its destiny. It sees, on the one hand, how much 
it is affected by the body — how weak it frequently be- ^ 
comes when disease fastens on our systems — ^how child- 
ish its manifestations often appear when old age palsies 
our physical energies ; and it anxiously asks. Will it not 
cease altogether with the dissolution of its tenement ? On 
the other hand, it beholds it sometimes triumphing over 
the weakness of the body — gaining new strength under 
bodily exhaustion — seeing things in a clearer light through 
the opening crevices of its prison-house, and putting forth 
its noblest energies in the last moments of expiring nature. 
And then philosophy, bewildered, asks. Will not the soul 
live independent of the body ? It has learned, also, that 
if certain portions of the brain are impaired or destroyed, 
certain functions of the mind are lost. Remove one part, 
and we cease to remember past events ; another, and 
judgment forsakes us ; if all be removed, all these powers 
are witnessed no more. It sees too, that the material 
part which is taken away moulders into dust. Has not 
tJiat which remembered and reasoned, shared its fate ? 
Philosophy cannot answer. The body, it sees, is disor- 
ganized and entirely decomposed ; is it thus with the 
raind, or does it exist independent and entire ? In vain we 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 2d 

press the important question, for philosophy has abready 
drained its resources. 

Our hopes and fears are not limited to this brief exist- 
ence, nor are they confined to this transitory world. No ; 
they stretch themselves forward to immortality, and hover 
over worlds of bliss and misery. Eagerly do we desire 
to live for ever ; more eager still are we to enjoy an eter- 
nity of bliss. But these desires are connected with the 
body which dies ; will they exist when death triumphs 
over us ? Philosophy is silent. Our desire of life is 
associated with the thought of existing in these bodies ; 
it cannot be disconnected from it. We can by nature 
have no idea of a life essentially different from the pre- 
sent. Nothing but the word of God can assure us of the 
resurrection of the body, and Philosophy must answer, 
therefore, whether these desires will ever be satisfied. 
Cheerless and discouraging indeed is it to hear her reply, 
— Of the immortality of the soul we have conjectures, 
but no proof. 

Refer to the histories of heathen nations, and you will 
find that their notions on this subject were as vague and 
obscure as the sources from which they derived them ; 
some among them believing, some doubting, and others 
denying the immortality of the soul. 

The Bible alone settles the question, and teaches us 
that when " the dust shall return to the earth as it was, 
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." It dis- 
perses every doubt by assuring us, that the impress of 
eternity is stamped upon every human soul. 

That a heaven of unchanging glory and eternal happi- 
ness is prepared for the good, can be proved only from 
revelation. That we are the subjects of moral govern- 
ment might be supposed without the revelation of this 
fact, from the workings of conscience within us. Why 
is there a judge seated in every breast to approve some 



30 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

actions, and disapprove others ? Why does it urge us to 
do right, and dissuade us from wickedness ? Why does it 
torture us with fears, and allure us with hopes ? Why 
does it drive even to confession and reparation, unless it 
be the agent of a higher Power who smiles on virtue ? 
But if he govern us, why has he not clearly revealed his 
laws 1 Why do the wicked prosper while the good suf- 
fer ? Would a moral government be thus loosely admin- 
istered ? Are we not rather our own masters ? 

But if there be a moral government maintained in this 
world, will it not end here ? Will the day ever arrive 
when the virtuous shall be rewarded, and the wicked 
punished ? Can reason, aside from revelation, point to a 
judgment-day when these apparent discordances shall be 
harmonized, and perfect justice commence its eternal 
course 1 Can uninspired reason tell us that moral govern- 
ment is founded upon the immutable and eternal princi- 
ples of right ? that moral government will be maintained 
when the heavens and the earth shall pass away ? Could 
it do so, it might have anticipated revelation. The phi- 
losopher, aided by the light which science has shed 
around him, may teach us that our world is accompanied 
by others which revolve around the sun as their common 
centre ; and with wonderful exactness may calculate their 
distances, their magnitudes, and the periods of their revo- 
lutions. He may bid us gaze on the " midnight glory" 
of the heavens, and exultingly assure us that every twink- 
ling star which adorns the skies is a world of surpassing 
magnitude and beauty. But can he point us to one of 
them as our future and eternal residence ? On the wings 
of fancy he may travel to the most distant star that rolls 
on its glittering orbit in the regions of space, but he can- 
not trace the flight of the deathless spirit! 

Philosophy, assisted by art in her investigations, has 
almost annihilated space, and has brought distant worlds 



REMAINS or REV. J. W. DOWNING. 31 

to view ; but it has not given us one glimpse of the celes- 
tial city whose walls are "jasper," and whose streets are 
"gold." It hath not seen that "land of pure delight, 
where saints immortal reign." Never, O never has it 
discovered a world where "there shall be no night;" 
where " they need no candle, neither light of the sun ;" 
where " they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
more ;" but where " the Lamb, which is in the midst of 
the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters ;" and where " God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes." 

The wisest of the heathen thought of no such heaven. 
Many of them believed, that when the body died the soul 
wandered forth, and entered into some other body ; strange 
and degrading as it may seem to us upon whom the light 
of the gospel hath shone, they asserted that the human 
soul became the inmate of brutes and reptiles, and thus 
for ages dragged out a constantly shifting and miserable 
existence on the shores of time. Socrates and Plato, the 
wisest and the best of the Grecian philosophers, could 
only teach their followers that " virtue is its own reward 
in the present world, and is entitled also to reward in the 
life to come." But that reward they could not promise 
to their most devoted friends. No wonder then that their 
efforts were so feebly put forth, and so feebly felt. 

The Bible, however, removes the veil from futurity, 
and bids us behold the resting-places of the saints, and 
the abodes of the lost. It clears up all mysteries, and 
harmonizes all the apparent discrepancies in the present 
state of things. Specially was it reserved for our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ to bring " life and immortality 
to light through the gospel." He rehearsed, when on 
earth, a part of that language which he himself will utter 
when the drama of time is finished, and its scenes brought 
to an eternal close. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, 



32 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 
of the world." " Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- 
lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." When 
his mission on earth was nearly completed, and he was 
about to leave his disciples, he gave them the kind assur- 
ance, " In my Father's house are many mansions : if it 
were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a 
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, 
I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that 
where I am, there ye may be also." My brethren, how 
dear to our hearts are these glorious truths ! How dear 
to us then should be the volume of inspiration whence 
they are derived ! How adored and glorified by us should 
be that Being who hath placed this treasure in our 
hands ! 

n. The character of him who can adopt the language of 
the text. 

1 . The infidel has neither " part nor lot in this matter." 
Over the grave all is darkness to him, as thick as that 
which covered the ancient heathen ; as appalling as that 
which now hangs over the plains and vales of paganism. 
Why should it be otherwise ? He has discarded revela- 
tion, and shut out the only light which can break in upon 
the darkness of his soul. Look at France while infidelity 
was in the ascendency in that fair land ! Pass by its 
crowded grave-yards, and in its cheerless inscription, 
" Death is an eternal sleep," read the creed of infidels ! 
And yet behold these same men holding on to life with 
an eagerness more than proportioned to the innumerable 
dangers which surrounded them ; clinging to earth, when 
it was dyed with the blood and whitened with the bones 
of their murdered friends ; running to the poor fountains 
of earthly happiness, when they knew them to be poisoned 
by hatred, and saw them turbid with blood : yea, carrying 
with them in every step of their wanderings a mountain- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 3^ 

load of suffering and wretchedness. Why not exchange 
all this turmoil, and suffering, and wo, for an " eternal 
sleep" — " secure from wordly chances and mishaps" — but 
for the " dread of something after death ?" 

** To sleep ! perchance to dream, — ay, there 's the rub ; 
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, 
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 
Must give us pause." 

Cheerless indeed would be even the doctrine of an eter- 
nal sleep ; but even this infidels cannot embrace, else would 
they court it. In the language of one of them, " Death is 
a leap in the dark," learn their fearful belief. Well might 
Rousseau, on the evening of his death, ask to be seated 
by his window that he might gaze upon the glories of the 
setting sun. The darkness of death was gathering in 
around him, and, unattended, he was to pass through its 
gloomy valley. That light once gone down, none other 
would dawn upon him ! O infidelity ; cruel, relentless 
monster ! instead of smoothing thy votary's passage to the 
tomb, thou hast added new terrors to the " king of terrors !" 

2. The nominal Christian cannot enjoy the assurance 
of the apostle. He may use these words as expressive 
of an abstract truth, but he cannot feel that heaven is 
secure to him. Are there no conditions of admittance into 
that " house not made with hands ?" The Bible answers 
by saying, " If any man will be my disciple, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." It enjoins 
" holiness, v/ithout which no man shall see the Lord." 
Have I complied with these conditions ? Alas, a life of 
carnal ease, of following a sinful world, and of placing 
the best affections of the heart upon its worthless, sinful 
objects, leaves no room for hope, but boundless cause for 
fear. Conscience asks imperatively the all-deciding ques- 
tion, Am I holy ? and thunders back the accusing answer, 
No ! Ask the man who fully believes in the necessity of 

2* 



34 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

experimental religion, but who has not embraced it, on 
what his hopes of heaven are built, and he will reply, On 
the expectation that I shall yet repent and believe in 
Christ, Ask him when brought near to death with an 
unrenewed heart, if the assurance of the apostle is his ; 
and you will receive a sorrowful answer, accompanied 
with sighs and tears. He feels that his theory is of no 
avail now ; his heart is unholy and unfit for heaven ; he 
has sinned away the day of grace ; he tries to repent and 
to pray ; but death will not wait for him to redeem the 
time that is lost. The " coming events" of eternity " cast 
their shadows before," and they fall on his dreary way. 
Death is not a " leap in the dark" to him, but the entrance 
into a blazing, burning world ! O, if distressing sighs 
and heart-rending groans are heard in any place on earth, 
they are heard in the dying room of the nominal Chris- 
tian ! Dear sinner, I charge thee to beware of procrasti- 
nation ! Plant not thy dying pillow with these piercing 
thorns ! 

3. The practical Christian is the only person who can 
adopt the triumphant language of our text. Faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ as a propitiatory and vicarious sacrifice 
for his sins, and for the sins of the whole world — faith in 
Christ as a Saviour who is able entirely to deliver us from 
the dominion, the condemnation, and the consequences of 
sin — faith in Christ as the Lord to whom "is given all 
power in heaven and in earth," secures to him the evi- 
dence of justification, pardon, adoption, and eternal life. 
He knows that he is not deceived, for " the Spirit itself 
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children 
of God." He claims the promises through faith, and 
knows that they cannot fail, for they are as sure as the 
everlasting throne upon which his Saviour sits. This 
was the ground of Paul's confidence : " I know whom I 
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 35 

that which I have committed unto him against that day." 
And O ! my brethren, how gloriously did this assurance 
support him when called to die for Christ ! How different 
the closing scene of his life from that of the infidel and 
the nominal Christian ! See him as he is taken from the 
damp cell of his gloomy prison, and led to the place of 
execution. No anger nor malice distorts his noble coun- 
tenance, but love and joy light up every feature ; that 
sparkling eye and smiling face tell of a hope not long to 
be deferred. Behold him as he surrenders himself to his 
executioners ! — 

" His fight is fought, his faith has reach'd the end, 
Firm to the hcav'ns his glance, his heart ascend ; 
There with the Judge he sees his crown remain. 
And if to live be Christ, to die is gain." 

" Tell him, I am glad I experienced religion when in 
health, else I should have nothing to support me now." 
Such, brethren, was the language of our departed sister, 
whose loss we deeply feel, and whose memory we fondly 
cherish. From this you plainly perceive that it was ex- 
perimental religion which sustained her in the hour of 
death — a religion which she embraced a year ago, when 
her prospect of life was more flattering than many of ours 
— a religion which failed not when earthly prospects were 
blasted. 

Let it be remarked, however, that the assurance of 
Christians will, at different times, vary in its strength ; 
but it will always be the strongest when they are most 
resigned to the will of God. Our departed friend had 
much for which to live. Hard must it have been to resign 
an only child even to the hands of kind friends — harder 
still to die without beholding the companion of her bosom 
who was so soon to return to her. Strange would it have 
been, were there no struggle between nature and grace. 
While she wavered in her resignation, she could not see 



36 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

clearly her " mansion in the skies ^" but when she gave up 
all to God, she enjoyed the full assurance of the apostle. 
" I am ready and wiUing to go," said she, as she thought 
she w^as stepping into the stream. When informed that it 
was Saturday evening, she remarked, " I expect to spend 
the sabbath in heaven ; but O ! how dreadful would it be 
if I should be disappointed !" " You do not expect to be 
disappointed, do you ?" rejoined a friend. " O no," she 
answered ; " I shall not, / knoio I shall not^ When ex- 
treme bodily suffering diverted the mind from its accus- 
tomed course to wander it scarce knew where, even then 
she spoke of death as something which had no sting; 
yea, as a kind angel, v/hom she wooed to her embrace, as 
bearing to her a sweet release from the pains and suffer- 
ings of life. '' / died happy, ^'' said she in one of her mo- 
mentary wanderings, " and was accepted,'*^ Sainted spirit ! 
is not that a reality now, which was then the vision of a 
disturbed imagination ? 

III. Some of the practical effects which this knowledge 
should have upon us, 

1. It should lead us to devote our chief attention to the 
soul. This, you are aware, is not the fashion of the world. 
It devotes the chief attention to gratifying the bodily appe- 
tites ; to satisfying the sensual desires ; and to cultivating 
those mental faculties which fit men to walk in the polished 
circles of society, and pursue the pathway to influence 
and fame. The soul, the spiritual part of man, is least of 
all regarded. Do you doubt the assertion 1 Look abroad 
over society, and count the thousands who die victims to 
mental labour ; the tens of thousands whom sensuality 
destroys. But if the body must soon crumble into dust, 
if ambition is narrowed to this world, and if the soul is 
immortal, and, above all, if it may live for ever in glory, 
should we not prize it most ? Should wo not prepare it 
for that place where there are pleasures for ever ? O ! let 



REMAIxVS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 37 

the inspiring truth of the soul's immortality lead us to curb 
its sinful desires, crucify its unholy affections, mortify its 
lusts, and train it for heaven. Never, my brethren, never 
shall we regret any sacrifices which we may make, any 
toils we may endure, any sufferings we may experience 
in this great work. Devote, then, your chief attention to 
the soul. 

2. It should support us under bodily suffering. Many 
and severe are our bodily afflictions ; some of them the 
result of imprudence, and of the infringement of the lav/s 
of our physical nature ; some of them the unavoidable 
consequence of our fall. Piercing pains, burning fevers, 
convulsive spasms, rack these feeble systems. Ah ! they 
sometimes start the hidden tear, and heave the bosom 
with the groan of agony, w^hile the body writhes as if the 
hand of death were on it. But why not bear them pa- 
tiently, since they may end so soon ? Why not rejoice 
that God is thus loosing the ropes, and taking up the 
stakes of our earthly tabernacle ? O brother ! were you 
to carry a spark of the Saviour's love in your bosom, and 
through some strange misfortune to be deprived of the 
privilege of going home to heaven, but compelled to live 
for ever in this wicked and troublous world, you might 
indeed mingle your tears with those of that aged woman 
who mourned that God had forgotten to call her home. 
Take courage, brother, and bear your sufferings with 
Christian fortitude. Remember, you sojourn in the flesh 
but for a day — you wander in this vale of tears but for a 
night. Earth is your temporal residence, heaven your 
eternal home. 

3. It should cheer us in death. Painful must it be to 
gaze for the last time upon all the beautiful objects of 
earth, endeared as they are to us by pleasant associations 
and fond recollections. Hard must it be to close these 
eyes for ever on flowering plains and lovely landscapes ; 



38 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

to shut these ears to the sweet music of the ri^aIlet and 
the linnet. Painful must it be to converse for the last 
time with beloved friends and endeared companions ; to 
extend to them the parting hand ; to exchange with them 
the last token of love, and feel its warm impress on our 
parched and dying lips ; and O ! the dying struggle — the 
last groan — the last breath — the giving up of the ghost ; 
timid nature is frightened even at the thought ! But our 
noblest part will have gained the victory, and shall suffer 
no more for ever. It will gaze on fairer scenes than any 
of which earth can boast ; it will hear sweeter music than 
earth ever listened to ; it will be the associate of saints 
redeemed, and the companion of angels ; it will partici- 
pate in pure and endless joys. Our friends, too, whom 
we have left behind, will soon follow us ; for, though we 
may not return to them, they, if faithful, will come to us. 
O ! I remember, when a few years ago I was called to 
bury an only sister, what rapturous emotions this thrilling 
thought created in my bosom. I shall see that sister 
again, said I, and with her shall range the fields of glory, 
and see face to face that Redeemer whom having not 
seen, we both loved. 

Blessed be God, these glorious truths cheer the dying 
saint. Christ delivers him from the fear of death, and 
takes away its sting ; yea, while the life-strings are giving 
way, he cries out, '^ Thanks be to God, which giveth us 
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Bereaved friends, did he not verify his word to Martha ? 
" Death," said she, " has no terrors." A few moments 
before her last breath, a friend sitting by her side asked, 
" Martha, how does death seem ?" " Dark, dark," she 
calmly answered. "Is there no light ?" continued her 
friend. " Yes," said she, while a smile of joy played 
and lingered on her countenance, " Jesus is with me ;" 
and in this assurance she fell asleep. As kind to thee, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 39 

fainting, desponding Christian, will thy Redeemer be in 
thy hour of need. " When thou passest through the wa- 
ters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow thee." 

4. It should console us when we bury Christian friends. 
We may be resigned to that providence which removes 
from us our friends, even though they leave no evidence 
of their conversion. For it is our privilege and duty to 
remember that God hath done it — done it in mercy and 
love, though incomprehensible to us. But how great the 
consolation arising from the conviction that the friend we 
loved was the friend of the Saviour — was the beloved of the 
Father, Can we have one murmuring thought? Little 
indeed should I think of that man's piety who, when the 
paroxysms of grief were over, could not be resigned to 
such a providence. Mourning friends, cannot you bow 
down in submission, and kiss the hand which hath so 
severely afflicted you ? You weep, and well you may, for 
you will see her face on earth no more ! That amiable 
disposition will no longer manifest itself in acts of kind- 
ness, sympathy, and love. Those eyes, sparkling with 
joy and beaming with tenderness, will gaze on you no 
more ; that mellow voice will no more fall like music on 
your ears : they are closed in death — it is hushed in the 
silence of the grave. You will miss her counsels, her 
example, her company in the social circle, and around 
the fireside. 

" But 'tis sweet to believe of the absent we love, 
Though we miss them below, we may meet them above." 

O ! is not Martha in a better world ? Have you not reason 
to believe that her pains all ended with the dying struggle ? 
Stormy indeed was her passage over the river of death, 
but was it not safe ? was it not triumphant ? Would you 
then call her back again to suffer ? to participate with you 
in life's poor, dying joys, while she is now in possession 



40 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

of those which are rich and enduring ? Affection answers, 
No ! Copy her virtues ; imitate whatever in her was 
" lovely and of good report ;" remember her worth, to you 
untold ; and O ! prepare to follow her. May God give 
unto you great support, and enable you to give yourselves 
up entirely to him ; so that you may feel that for you " to 
live is Christ, and to die is gain." -And every moment 
may you enjoy the confidence of the apostle, and say, 
" We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not 
made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 

May God sanctify this affliction to us all, and help us 
to be grateful to Him who " hath brought life and immor- 
tality to light through the gospel." Amen. 



SERMON IL* 

They cannot recompense thee. — Luke xiv, 14. 

The views of God differ widely from the policy of 
man. In proof of this assertion the history of our race 
might be brought before you, and on its every page you 
might behold convincing testimony that human actions 
are openly at variance with the principles of the divine 
government. Hence the melancholy fact, which can on 
no other principle be satisfactorily explained, that our 
advancement in happiness has been so slow, and so fre- 
quently retarded. God has marked out the only path 
which leads to felicity, but if we choose not to walk in it, 
and blindly prefer to go on in the " ways of our own 
hearts, and in the sight of our own eyes," we must expect 
to grope in darkness, and be overwhelmed in misery. 

* Delivered January 13, 1839, at the anniversary of the Female 
Friendly Society of Brooinficld-street church, Boston. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 41' 

If you will recur for a moment to a very memorable 
saying of the Saviour, you will distinctly see the nature 
and extent of this difference, in thought and action, 
between man and his Creator. He said, " It is more 
blessed to give than to receive ;" and in confirmation of 
the doctrine, gave his heart's blood unto his enemies, and 
freely made " his soul an offering for sin" for those who 
could not recompense him. The policy of man, on the 
other hand, has invariably been to obtain and to retain in 
his single grasp the treasures of earth ; and in the pos- 
session of riches he has supposed the highest earthly 
happiness to consist. Thus he who has secured to him- 
self many of the treasures of earth is envied by multi- 
tudes, while he who distributes freely to the necessities 
of others, and who labours to collect that he may enjoy 
the happiness of distributing, is either pitied as deluded, 
or censured as prodigal. While therefore this false policy 
rules the human breast, there will be misery in society. 
For as long as men are actuated by such views and feel- 
ings, they will toil excessively for aggrandizement. In 
their haste to become rich they will neither respect the 
rights of man, nor regard the laws of God. They will 
turn away their eyes from the wants of the poor, and 
close their ears to the cries of the widow and the father- 
less. But just in proportion as the gospel becomes autho- 
ritative in society this selfish policy will disappear. Man 
will become fraternal ; human rights and divine laws will 
be regarded ; the sufferings of the poor will be assuaged, 
and the sum of human happiness will be increased. 

The same difference between the thoughts and ways 
of God and those of man is clearly exhibited in our text. 
The Saviour promises blessings to those who provide for 
the poor and needy, the distressed and helpless, but not 
because in human view the money thus expended is pro- 
fitably invested. No interest can be reaped on earth, and 



42 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

even the principal cannot be repaid us. Hovir then, might 
the calculating spirit of covetousness inquire, is the say- 
ing true, " thou shalt be blessed ?" I gladly answer, in 
view of the principles laid down in the sacred volume, 
that if the investment be made in the name and spirit of 
a disciple of Jesus, it is money lent to God — it is treasure 
laid up in heaven — it is stock funded for eternity. " Thou 
shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just" — 
when the earth and all its treasures shall be burned up. 

I have made these remarks at the commencement of 
my discourse, that I might induce you, for an hour at least, 
cheerfully to abandon this worldly policy, with which we 
are daily surrounded, and with which it would not be 
strange if we were in some degree infected. And I 
beseech you, in view of the important truths at which I 
have merely hinted, to welcome to your bosoms the eco- 
nomy of heaven, replete with benevolence and love, while 
I lay before you the wants of those who cannot recom- 
pense you, and who are dependant upon your charities. 
And I am inspired with the assurance of success this 
evening, not only because I address those whose hearts 
the gospel has made tender and benevolent, but also 
because I am the organ of a society with which you have 
long been acquainted, and because I know the character 
of the claimants for whom I shall plead, and the validity 
of the claims which I shall advocate. The character of 
the claimants is beautifully expressed in the language of 
our text : " They cannot recompense thee.'* Let us con- 
sider then, 

I. The cause of their poverty . When solicited for alms 
by any individual, the first question which arises in the 
mind is. Why is he poor ? How came he to need my 
aid ? Is his poverty the natural result of his follies and 
his vices, or of afflictive circumstances, over which he 
could have no control ? Reason and conscience both 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 43 

unite in prompting us to make these inquiries ; for lono- 
since it has been seen that indiscriminate charity scatters 
without blessing. The man who gives bountifully to every 
wandering beggar that approaches his house, irrespective 
of his wants, and indifferent to the manner in which his 
bounty may be applied, may be commended more for the 
kindness of his heart than for the soundness of his judg- 
ment : for the course w^hich he pursues encourages idle- 
ness and nourishes dissipation. The answer, therefore, to 
this important question. Are the poor innocent or guilty in 
their poverty? may, in many cases, decide whether it is 
our duty to give or to withhold. 

It is not my purpose on this occasion to spread before 
you the causes of the poverty that exists in society. I 
would not lead you over so wide and dreary a field, even 
had I the ability and courage requisite for commanding 
such an " exploring expedition." My design is very 
briefly to shov/ you the causes of their poverty on whose 
behalf I now speak, that I may fully convince you that 
they are the proper objects of your charity. And if you 
will but listen, reason will prompt, and conscience beseech 
you to give liberally of your abundance to their necessi- 
ties. The members of this benevolent society will bear 
me witness, that I have no doubtful ca,ses to lay before 
you. In answer to the question. Why are their pension- 
ers poor ? I unhesitatingly answer, God hath m.ade them 
so, and cheerfully invite you to examine the proof of this 
position. 

Long ere this must the attention of every careful 
observer liave been arrested by the fact, that God governs 
both the natural and moral world by general laws. The 
necessity and wisdom of this economy will be apparent 
to every one v/ho examines it. In a world where sin 
abounds, the operation of these laws promotes the happi- 
ness of man as a race, though it sometimes conflicts for a 



44 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

season with the happiness of individuals. Let us not, 
however, on this account, charge Jehovah with lack of 
wisdom or of love in the arrangements which he has 
made, but rather remember with deep contrition of soul 
the humiliating fact, that our sins have interfered with the 
operation of a government which, in their absence, would 
have secured, at the same time and for ever, the greatest 
happiness of the whole, and of each of its component 
parts. Now it is the operation of these laws, under these 
circumstances, which has made those individuals poor for 
whom we this evening solicit your contributions. Some 
of these laws I will briefly notice. 

1. It is a general law, that the condition of children 
should be greatly affected by the character and circum- 
stances of their parents. This position will be neither 
questioned nor denied. The proof lies scattered in ample 
profusion over all communities and nations, and is as 
ancient as the world. It is a revealed truth that the con- 
dition of every descendant of Adam, in consequence of 
the fall, has been rendered degraded and painful. The 
ground has been cursed with sterility, and covered with 
thorns ; the beasts of the field have been suffered to roam 
wild and untractable ; the atmosphere has been infected 
with noxious damps and pestilential vapours ; disease, 
pain, and death, in all their varied forms, have been 
entailed upon our race. And, what is still more lament- 
able, man by the fall lost the moral image of his God. 
" The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint," 
and man manifests the unnatural appetite which this sick- 
ness has created, in hating holiness and in loving sin. 
The sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve will be, " to 
the last syllable of recorded time," proofs of the universa- 
lity of this great law. 

You may witness it^ operation on a narrower scale. 
In the circles of society in which we daily move, we see 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 45 

the children of the worthy and the virtuous honoured and 
beloved for their parents' sakes. And when the father is 
called to " go up higher," his mantle falls upon his chil- 
dren. The son who receives it, and preserves it free 
from every taint of dishonour and vice, has a robe richer 
than one that is wrought of purple, and inwoven with gold. 
The latter may attract the gaze of the thoughtless crowd ; 
but the former secures the confidence and esteem of the 
wise and good. So if a mother has stained the honour, 
and laid a,side the virtue which were her shield in life, 
the daughter must share in her shame. She is treated 
•with coolness, and beheld with distrust, by the virtuous 
of her sex, not on account of her own, but of her mother's 
vices. Long must her character be proved, before the 
circles of the virtuous will greet her welcome to their 
joys. We see the children of our neighbours varying 
widely in their prospects and circumstances, simply be- 
cause the same difference marks their parents. Some 
are well educated and established in business, while others 
are poor and ignorant. 

The children whose beseeching eyes are turned toward 
this society for assistance are as innocent as your own ; 
they would be as cheerful and engaging, had not Provi- 
dence made them the offspring of the poor and unfortu- 
nate. You cannot blame them for their poverty; they 
suffer not from guilt, not from choice. Had it been left 
with them to choose their lot, you may be well assured 
that they would not now entreat your compassion. And 
can you withhold from them your sympathy and your 
charity, since the operation of the same gTeat law hath 
made them wretched which hath made both you and your 
families happy? Father of the friendless! forgive the 
neglecter of the innocent poor ! 

2. That the capabilities and facilities of men should 
differ, is another general law. That there is a great 



46 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING, 

diversity in the talents of men, is a position which has 
so long been maintained, and so fully proved, that it does 
not now admit of a question. This diversity is seen not 
only in the higher departments of mind, but also in com- 
mon business and household affairs. There are some 
individuals who are destitute of many requisites for suc- 
cess in life. They are honest and industrious, but always 
vmsuccessful and poor ; while many, far inferior in every 
virtuous trait of character, . roll proudly in affluence, or 
recline effeminately in ease. The wind is always against 
them, and they have no skill to beat against it, or to scud 
before it. The tide, too, " which, taken at the flood, leads 
on to fortune," sets in with resistless fury against them, 
and, unless assisted by a friendly hand, they must founder. 
Poor unfortunate souls ! they may provoke our smiles, but 
they should move our pity! For theirs is the foil of 
labour, with few of its rewards ; theirs the clouds and 
storms of life, with few of its sunny mornings or moon- 
light evenings. But they do the best they can ; this is 
all their Maker requires — all that you should demand. 
"Be ye merciful as your Father also is merciful." That 
they cannot appear well in life, and move smoothly through 
its checkered scenes, is their misfortune, not their fault ; 
for could they have been consulted respecting the talents 
which should be intrusted to them, they would now be 
preparing themselves to be appointed " over ten cities." 
It is God v/ho hath made them to differ. Impeach not 
His wisdom, by passing by them with indifference or 
cold disdain ! 

So in the changes which are daily taking place among 
us, we see some individuals overwhelmed in a moment 
with misfortune. The hard-earned gains of many a weary 
day are consumed by fire, or pilfered by remorseless 
debtors. Others supported their families with ease by 
the proceeds of a profitable trade ; but suddenly, by the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 47 

introduction of the improvements of the age, or by the 
decreasing demand in the market, the business once good 
is worthless. Some rise above these misfortunes, and 
engage in other branches of industry ; while others, such 
is their constitution, sink under them. They have neither 
heart nor hands to try another path, though certain that 
the way they follow will lead to pinching want. These 
are the chances of life ! and when they end in misfortune 
and poverty, who will withhold the tear of pity ? who the 
hand of cheerful relief ? God grant this lot may never be 
yours, my hearer ; but if it fall upon you, may you be 

able to say, 

*' That mercy I to others show'd, 
That mercy show to me." 

3. It is a law of our nature, that old age should unfit 
us for care and labour. Youth is the season of prepara- 
tion for the cares and duties of life, manhood for its 
bustling scenes and arduous labours, old age for its calm- 
ness and repose. Hence our physical and mental powers 
increase till we reach the proud summit of life's little hill, 
and then decrease as we travel downward to the grave. 
So yonder sun increases in splendour and glory till he 
reaches his zenith ; but as he descends the western sky, 
his effulgence wanes, his fires forget their fei-vour, till at 
last, with all the gentle mildness of the sweet star of 
evening, he pillows his head to rest upon the bosom of 
the setting cloud. Who that has seen the gray-haired 
veteran tottering toward the grave will deem him fit to 
enter again upon the busy scenes of life ? With him the 
sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are dark- 
ened, and the clouds return after the rain. He has reached 
the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the 
strong men bow themselves, and those that look out of the 
windows are darkened. Eccles. xii, 2, 3. Who that be- 
holds him, as hosts of infirmities surround him, will sum- 



48 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

mon him again to till the ground, and, by the sweat of his 
wrinkled brow and furrowed cheeks, procure his bread ? 
Who would trouble that spirit, already affected by its long 
and painful sympathizings with the infirmities of its earthly 
tabernacle — that spirit which must so soon return to the 
God who gave it, and which needs all its energies for the 
great scene before it ? Who would perplex that spirit with 
cares for the sustenance of the body which, in a day or 
two, " shall return to the earth as it was ?" Aged pilgrim, 
thou shalt not be thus afflicted ; thy wants shall all be 
supplied. But I hear him say, as the big tear courses 
down its accustomed channel, " Mine was no easy lot in 
life. I toiled from early morn to starlight eve, but mis- 
fortune and sickness kept me always poor. Nothing of 
my scanty wages could I lay by me for the hour of need, 
and old age has found me in poverty. Nothing can I now 
call my own but these tattered garments, and a seat — O 
that I might soon occupy it ! — a seat in heaven. God has 
also suffered me to outlive my friends. ' I am an aged 
hemlock,' and the generation which sprang up after me, 
and which I sheltered with my boughs, is cut down. My 
wife and children have gone before me to the eternal 
world. Thus alone and friendless, who will supply my 
wants ? Who will warm, and feed, and shelter me, amid 
the howling winds and chilling snows of the winter of the 
year, and the winter of my life ?" Come hither, poor old 
man ! Thou art innocent in thy sufferings, and none shall 
dare reproach thee for thy poverty ! Here are thy friends. 
Thy God hath raised up this society to provide for thee, 
and warmed the hearts of this people to pity thee. Thou 
shalt not be forsaken ! 

4. The last general law to which I will advert is, that 
diseases and death should make their ravages among us, 
regardless of our temporal condition. Our own observa- 
tion and painful experience are the melancholy proof by 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 49 

which we substantiate this position. We have seen dis- 
ease fastening itself upon all classes of society. It enters 
the dwellings of the rich, and sits down in the hovels of 
the poor ; it pays its court to the young and fair, nor does 
it neglect the old and the infirm. Scarce a pulse beats 
which it has not quickened and retarded, scarce a cheek 
blooms which it has not crimsoned and blanched. We 
have felt its wasting effects. It has suspended our busi- 
ness, weakened our energies, and wasted our substance. 
Thank God, from us it has been thrown off before it de- 
stroyed our energies and consumed our property. To 
others, however, it has clung closer and closer, and fast- 
ened its fangs deeper and deeper, with every effort made 
to shake it off. The father has been laid on the bed of 
pain, not only to contend with its ravages, but also to see 
his property wasting away with his strength, till the last 
farthing has o^one. Like the woman in the days of Christ, 
he has spent all his living upon physicians, neither could 
be healed by any. His wife redoubled her efforts to pro- 
vide for her husband and little ones, but the prospect grew 
darker, darker — till at last even woman could endure no 
longer, but sank, worn down by labour, and exhausted by 
watching anil fatigue. O ! if you will but enter that lonely 
chamber, and gaze upon the scene too painful to be de- 
scribed, you will see the sad marks of poverty which 
sickness has caused. Shall that sick man perish, and 
those children starve ? When sickness enters the dwell- 
ings of wealth, it brings suffering as its companion ; but 
when it visits the cottages of competency, it often also 
introduces poverty. It stops not however to count our 
gold, when it unlatches our door ! 

Death, you are aware, is quite as indiscriminate in his 
visits. He attacks all classes, and levels all distinctions. 
None are so high as to be above his reach, none so low 
as to be beneath his notice. The young and the old, the 

3 



50 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

virtuous and the vicious, are alike the victims of his power. 
Need we proof of these assertions ? Painfully, mothers 
and sisters, has it been afforded you in the removal of three 
of your number to the world of spirits since your last anni- 
versary. Ay, death has palsied the hands which fed the 
hungry, and clothed the naked ; it has arrested the foot- 
steps of youth tripping lightly in the paths of benevolence. 
Departed ones ! your virtues shall be remembered and 
imitated ! your memories shall be cherished in our bosoms, 
and embalmed with our tears ! Death has entered our 
families, and cut off the ties of our hearts till they have 
bled at every pore ; but he has not taken from us our 
earthly all. Innumerable, however, are the instances 
where he has been permitted to cut off every earthly 
hope, every worldly resource. 

Go with me to another part of the city, and I will show 
you a family which death robbed of all, when it took away 
the husband and the father. He was industrious and vir- 
tuous, and supplied with his own hands the wants of his 
family ; but misfortune overtook him while engaged in 
honest labour. He lingered for a season in helplessness, 
and then closed his eyes in death. For two long years 
that disconsolate widow, and those five small, fatherless 
children, have subsisted on their own scanty earnings, 
and the charities of others. Ay, you will say, they have 
drunk the cup of sorrow, and eaten the bitter weed of 
poverty. " God," said the mother to me a few days since, 
" has been very good to me ;" and the tear filled her eye 
as she added, " the Female Friendly Society has assisted 
me. I know not what I should hav^e done had it not 
been for kind friends." Details of suffering like this might 
easily be multiplied ; but. I refrain, as you cannot have 
forgotten the affecting cases which the secretary has em- 
bodied in her able report. I proceed hastily to assure 
you,— 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 51 

IL That these individuals are the proper objects of your 
charity. You have already been made acquainted with their 
poverty and sufferings. Stronger proof you cannot ask 
than the testimony of these benevolent females, who have 
been the eye-witnesses of the scenes they describe. I 
have shown you that it is God who hath made them poor. 
Whatever, therefore, may be your feelings as you behold 
the poverty which is the natural result of a course of 
folly and of vice, you surely cannot withhold your sym- 
pathy and aid from those who suffer innocently, in conse- 
quence of misfortune, sickness, and death. That such 
are objects of charity is too plain a case to admit of 
laboured proof. Permit me rather to show you the esti- 
mation in which they are held by Him who is alike the 
Maker of the rich and poor. 

I have said that God hath made them poor ; be assured, 
however, he hath not done so in anger or judgment toward 
them, for he considers them innocent in suffering. Could 
he have prevented their poverty without infringing the 
laws by which he governs us, his love would have prompted 
him to do it. But the great wheel of natural and moral 
government must roll round, till the present system of 
things is arrested. Sin shall then cease to interpose its 
baneful and disturbing power, " and sorrow and sighing 
shall flee away." But the morning which shall smile 
upon a restored and happy universe is the very morning 
that shall see thee recompensed for thy charities. 
"Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of 
the just." Till then, you will witness the truth of 
your Saviour's assertion, " The poor ye have always 
with you." 

But the poor are very dear to God. Does not the sick- 
liest of your group of children engage more of your sym- 
pathy and attention than the hale and hearty 1 Do not 
his very afflictions bind him to your heart ? And shall 



52 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

iibt God regard and pity the afflicted of his family ? Make 
not your Father in heaven less kind than an earthly parent ! 
Read, in the blessed volume of his word, the proof of his 
regard. Run over a few of the precious promises which 
he has made to them, and ask if they are not the lan- 
guage of his love : " The needy shall not always be for- 
gotten ; the expectation of the poor shall not perish for 
ever." " Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve 
them alive ; and let thy widows trust in me." " Hearken, 
my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of 
this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which 
he hath promised to them that love him ?" But stronger 
evidence than this did he afford us, when he sent his Son 
to live and die the poorest of us all. The manger in 
which he was laid at his birth was but an indication of 
the poverty which should mark his life. See him as he 
wanders over the fertile plains and vine-clad hills of Judea. 
Judas follows him with the bag which contains the scanty 
store that charity has afforded for their wants. See him 
as he reposes his head to rest, with no pillow but the 
damp, cold earth — no covering but the broad, blue sky ! 
Hear his melting description of his poverty : " The foxes 
have holes, and birds of the air have nests ; but the Son 
of man hath not where to lay his head." But why should 
I enlarge ? " Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became 
poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." 

And does not God mean, by all these proofs of kindness 
and love to the poor, to commend them to us ? Why, but 
to secure our kindness on their behalf, hath he said, " He 
that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker : but he 
that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor." Why, but 
to enlist our aid, hath he said, "He that giveth to the poor 
lendeth to the Lord ?" Why, but to provide for their wants, 
hath he so strictly enjoined upon us the duty of benevo- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 53 

lence 1 Why is " the visiting the widow and the father- 
less in their afflictions" a component part of that religion 
which is the only passport to the mansions of the blest ? 
O ! if the innocent poor are not very dear to you, it is not 
the fault of Jehovah ! They bear the recommendation of 
your Saviour, they secure the guardian care of angels, and 
enlist the sympathies of heaven. 

But I leave these sufferers with you. That same Pro- 
vidence which hath cut them off from the resources which 
are still open to you, hath bid me look to you for assistance 
in this hour of need. Shall I look in vain ? You are the 
stewards of Heaven's bounty, and will you hesitate for 
a moment to appropriate a portion of it to their wants ? 
You need not fear incurring His displeasure by giving 
liberally to the poor. 

Providence transfers them to your guardian care, and 
waits to witness your emotions. This society, which his 
hand has raised up to scatter blessings in the paths of 
want, waits with solicitude to see how you will receive 
the transfer. Will you welcome it with a reception which 
shall secure the smiles of Providence — which shall answer 
the expectations, and gladden the hearts of this society ? 
If you take it reluctantly, the Saviour will notice it, and 
frown upon you. " Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of 
these, ye did it not to me." These benevolent females, 
your mothers and sisters, will notice it, and you will read 
their disappointment and sorrow in their downcast eyes. 
How shall they perform their toilsome labour, uncheered 
by your smiles — unsupported by your generous aid ? How 
shall they tell the poor man that they can relieve his 
wants no more 1 What sighs shall rend their bosoms as 
they withdraw the scanty pension from the widow and the 
fatherless, whose sufferings they have so long assuaged 1 
The friendless sick shall know it, in their cheerless, un- 
attended agony, and withdraw from you their dying blessing ! 



54 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Say then, ye almoners of Heaven's bounties, shall this 
empty treasury be replenished by your contributions no 
more ? Shall the fountain of benevolence, which woman's 
watchful care has guarded, " lo, these eighteen years," 
gush forth no more in generous streams, to make glad the 
dwellings of the poor ? The thought is painful, and your 
generosity forbids me to entertain it. You will gladly 
feed the sacred fountain ! Bless, Father of mercies, the 
tributary streams which flow into it, and the healing waters 
which gush forth from it ! 



SERMON III. 

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord 

OP HOSTS. — Zechariah iv, 6. 

Christianity is a system peculiar to itself. It differs 
from every other, not only in the evidences of its authen- 
ticity, the sublimity of its doctrines, and the purity of its 
morality, but also in the manner of its promulgation. If 
there were nothing else to prove its divine origin, its 
wonderful progress, to the reflecting mind, would be 
amply sufficient. Of all other systems of religion which 
have at different times prevailed in our world, one remark 
may safely be made ; they have all owed their success to 
the efforts of man. " The wisdom of men" invented them 
at first, and has been the only means used .in upholding 
them in existence. The infinite God has not been recoof- 
nised in their promulgation ; he has stood aloof, and looked 
down with abhorrence upon those who have thus strayed 
from him in seeking out " many inventions." But far 
different from this is the remark which must be made by 
every candid man respecting Christianity. It owes its 
origin and success, not to might, nor to power, hut to the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 55 

Spirit of the Lord of hosts. Its excellency is of God, and 
not of man. True, it recognises the pious man as an 
instrument in its promulgation ; but it relies not on this 
instrumentality, but on the Spirit of the Lord ; for he has 
worked, and does still work, independent of human means. 
It awards to man an ample compensation for his agency, 
but at the same time secures to God all the glory. For 
the song which shall for ever ring in heaven is, " Blessing, 
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth 
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." 
Here is wisdom which can be found in no human system, 
and to which no man can ever attain. Well may we say 
with the apostle, " The wisdom of this world is foolishness 
with God." 

Let us endeavour to spread out the proof of the doctrine 
implied in our textj namely. The Chnstian religion owes 
its success to the Spirit of God alone. To do this, it will 
be necessary only to show that this success cannot other- 
wise be accounted for. 

I. Is Christianity adapted to the natural dispositions of 
man 1 Were this the case, without supposing any super- 
natural agency, it would not be wonderful to behold mul- 
titudes flocking around the banner of the cross. Men 
will easily believe what is in accordance with the passions 
and propensities of their nature, and will readily embrace 
any system which lays no restraint upon their actions. 
The various systems of religion which prevailed in hea- 
then nations, at the time of the introduction of Christian- 
ity, had suited themselves to the passions of man's carnal 
heart, and had therefore been embraced with avidity. 
The wise men who invented them imposed but few re- 
straints ; and, as if to compensate for these, allowed the 
free indulgence of many of the most degrading vices. 
Indeed, the very gods whom their imaginations created, 
and whom they blindly worshipped, were represented as 



56 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

addicted to many crimes, and as looking down with com- 
placency upon those who followed their example. And 
further, if a favourite propensity craved indulgence, the 
only thing necessary was to create a god who would be 
pleased with such indulgence, and accept it as a sacrifice. 
To such extent was this carried, that all these creeds 
appear childish and ridiculous to us who are blessed with 
a revelation from heaven. But they were exactly adapted 
to the feelings of men in those ages of the world, and 
were of course universally embraced by the heathen. 

So also it is not at all difficult to account for the spread 
of Mohammedanism. The inventor of this system was a 
man well acquainted with human nature ; he was familiar 
with all its devious windings ; and, availing himself of 
this knowledge, draughted a plan to which thousands 
subscribed. To the lover of the marvellous he gave scope 
for the exercise of his propensity ; to the warrior he gave 
the laurel of earthly glory ; to the hero the crown of em- 
pire ; and to the sensualist the key of indulgence. To 
all classes and conditions of men he had something to 
offer to gratify their desires ; he promised his faithful 
followers an earth of pleasure and a heaven of sensuality. 

But far different from any and all of these systems is 
Christianity. When Christ delivered his messages from 
heaven, they grated harshly upon the ears of the multitude, 
and roused into action all the resentment of the human 
heart. His maxims were opposed to the maxims of the 
world, and his doctrines required an entire change in the 
spirit and conduct of men. He maintained the excellence 
and dignity of that God against whom the carnal mind is 
enmity, and the claims of that holy law against which 
man had rebelled. He at once strove to annihilate the 
self-righteousness of the Pharisee, the skepticism of the 
Sadducee, and the wisdom of the scribe. He required 
of all men, Jews and Gentiles, humility and repentance, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 57 

to which man has always been averse. He commanded 
them to lay aside their boasted wisdom, and, with all the 
simplicity and humility of a child, to approach unto Jesus 
of Nazareth, and learn of him ; more than all this, he 
required a change of heart to prepare them for heaven, 
and, in the strongest and boldest manner, endeavoured to 
awaken their hopes and fears by describing a future judg- 
ment and a coming eternity. He hesitated not to foretel 
future misery, but as confidently and as fearlessly asserted 
that there is a hell, as he did that there is a God and a 
heaven. All these doctrines were in opposition to the 
human heart ; but the Saviour stemmed the tide of error, 
and breasted the waves of opposition, and his disciples 
fearlessly followed his example. And thus it must be at 
the present day. True religion has not lost its peculiari- 
ties, nor have men lost theirs ; they are both arrayed 
against each other. The minister of the gospel cannot 
preach a gospel which men as sinners love. No man 
loves to be told that he is a sinner, exposed to God's 
wrath for ever ; that he must humble himself, repent of 
his sins, and be converted ; and that " except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." These 
doctrines never yet pleased the careless sinner, and they 
never will. But this religion has spread, does spread, 
and shall spread all over the earth ; not because its doc- 
trines please the sinner, — not hy might, nor hy power; but 
hy the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. 

n. Does Christianity offer its converts loorldly honours? 
The various heathen religions found their way to the 
hearts of men by the earthly pomp and glory with which 
they were surrounded. They secured to their votaries 
all that the world could offer. Those who desired to fill 
important stations in society, or to gain reputation and 
influence, were careful to reverence the gods of the land. 
They were strict in going through the whole round of 

3* 



58 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

superstitious practices and ceremonies. Union of church 
and state in those days was of no rare occurrence. So 
Mohammed offered his followers all that was splendid 
and fascinating in the honours of earth. 

But Jesus Christ commenced his mission under all the 
disadvantages of obscurity and poverty. He came into 
the world destitute of every appearance of worldly honour 
— born of an humble virgin, and cradled in a manger. He 
desired no worldly honour, for his kingdom was " not of 
this world." He " came not to be ministered unto, but 
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." " Ye 
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he 
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye 
through his poverty might be rich." When the people 
would have taken him by force to make him a king, he 
escaped from them ; he would not meddle with crowns 
or empires, nor lift his finger to free his countrymen from 
Roman bondage. He would not even assume the cha- 
racter of an earthly judge to settle differences between 
his brethren. " Who made me a judge or a divider over 
you ?" No, he came to die for man. You are well ac- 
quainted with his history, with the disgrace which the 
Jewish nation heaped upon him, and with the last insult 
they offered him. When he entered Jerusalem, I know- 
that, at first sight, there was some appearance of worldly 
honour ; but on close investigation this appearance va- 
nishes ; it has been called a triumphant entrance ; but to 
me it seems to have been the triumph of humility over 
pride. 

So also the religion which Christ taught partook of his 
divine nature. It promised no man riches, but taught him 
to despise them. It ensured no man worldly friends, but 
commanded him to forsake them. It placed on no convert 
a crown of earthly glory, but taught him to look for a 
crown which is reserved for the faithful in another world. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 59 

It required all its professors to come out from the world. 
The success of all other religions which have ever pre- 
vailed has greatly depended on the worldly honours which 
they have promised ; had these been withdrawn, the mo- 
tives for embracing them would have been greatly dimi- 
nished. But this cannot be asserted of the Christian re- 
ligion ; for it disappointed all the hopes, and blasted all 
the prospects, of those to whom it was first offered. It 
does not recognise this world except as a state of proba- 
tion, a scene of suffering and warfare. I know there was 
a time in the history of the church when worldly honours 
crept into it ; but that was an awful time ; that is a black 
page which " no fuller on earth" can whiten. Man added 
to religion what God had prohibited. The church lost its 
compass, and its iniquities hid from it the Sun of righte- 
ousness ; at last its piety vanished, and God raised up 
another people to serve him. When worldly honours 
creep into any church, and are used as motives to induce 
men to love God, the glory of that church has departed. 
If religion be embraced at all, it must be embraced for its 
own sake ; and while man has a carnal mind, nothing can 
induce him to love God but the Holy Spirit operating on 
his nature, enlightening his understanding, and purifying 
his affections. And if man would be saved, he must not 
resist the Holy Ghost. "Not ly might, nor by power ^ hut 
by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts ^ 

III. Does Christianity offer its followers ease and quiet? 
On the contrary, it ensures trials, persecutions, and afflic- 
tions as the earthly portion of all its votaries. Surely 
there must be something supernatural in the spread of a 
religion which is contrary to the disposition and wishes 
of man, and at the same time deprives him of worldly 
honours and worldly ease. From the life of the Sa\dour, 
the founder of the Christian religion, we might safely 
predict the sufferings of his followers, since " the servant 



60 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

is not above his master." He did indeed lead a life of 
sorrow. He had not where to lay his head. He was 
exposed to earthly inconveniences and hardships, and 
suffered as no man can suffer. He wept as no man can 
weep. Behold him at the grave of Lazarus. Hear his 
lamentation over Jerusalem, and from the language of his 
lips infer the agony of his soul : " O Jerusalem, Jerusa- 
lem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which 
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy 
children together, even, as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, and ye would not !" See him in the 
garden of Gethsemane, and imagine the poignancy of that 
grief which caused the bloody sweat. And then follow 
him to the cross, and as the soldier drives the nail, mark 
well that quivering flesh, that mangled nerve. What was 
that mental anguish which caused him to cry out, " My 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" " He was 
despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief." 

But the sufferings of his followers were not left to be 
found out by experience. He plainly told them that they 
must take up the cross ; that if the world persecuted him, 
it would persecute them also. His apostles went forth in 
the same manner, and, by their sufferings as well as by 
their words, taught all men that they must " through much 
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God ;" and that those 
who " will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecu- 
tion." Nothing softened the repulsiveness of these asser- 
tions, but the voice of the Redeemer as he unfolded the 
realities of eternity : " To him that overcometh will I 
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also over- 
came, and am set down with my Father in his throne." 
These declarations have been verified in the experience 
of every saint who has reached heaven. He has " come 
out of great tribulation." They must be verified in the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 61 

experience of Christians in all coming ages, till the world 
shall be brought into subjection to Christ ; for Christ 
" must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 

If you will look back upon the history of the church, 
you will find ample proof of the truth of Christ's words. 
Follow the church durinof the three centuries succeeding 
the crucifixion of her Lord. See her wadinor throuorh 
suffering and afflictions ; mark how every step of her 
progress is stained with the blood of her truest friends. 
O ! had not the Holy Spirit, the blessed Comforter, 
breathed comfort into their souls, and sustained them by 
his heavenly aid in all their trials and afflictions, the pro- 
gress of religion must have ended for ever. Instead of 
the triumphant song of the dying martyr, would have been 
heard the sigh of agony, and the wail of despair. 

Behold also the suflferings of the people of God when 
the Roman Catholic power triumphed over all Europe, 
and set at naught all law, human and divine. Read the 
history of the Waldenses, that pious people who fled to 
the valleys of the Alps that they might, unmolested, love 
and serve their God. There, my brethren, you will learn 
the fiendish character of that " infallible, unchanging 
church," which now threatens the destruction of all that 
is dear to us in civil and religious liberty. There you 
will read tales of anguish which will harrow up your 
souls, and cause your blood to chill within you. There 
you may hear notes of suffering which should sound an 
alarm throughout every village and city of our country, in 
the ear of every patriot and Christian, and cause him to 
put on the armour of the gospel, and pray mightily to the 
God of Israel for assistance. Wake up, sinner ! Come 
up at least to the defence of civil liberty ! " Wake to 
righteousness, and sin not." You may be called to suffer 
with the church, but, unless converted, you cannot share 
in the rewards of eternity. 



62 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

The history of the church teaches us that she has 
always been persecuted ; she has always been burning, 
but is not consumed : while the Spirit of the Lord of 
hosts is in her midst, she can never be consumed. But 
on what other principle can you account for her exist- 
ence ? What but the Spirit of God has preserved her so 
that her enemies have not long since triumphed over her? 
Has any other cause been abused so much? Has any 
other cause triumphed so widely? Has any other cause 
sustained itself at all under such combined and mighty 
efforts for its destruction ? No ! The existence of the 
Christian church can be accounted for only by the exist- 
ence and continued protection of that God who '* causeth 
the wrath of man to praise him" — who shall give to his 
Son Jesus Christ " the heathen for his inheritance, and 
the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." 
" Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the 
Lord of hosts P 

IV. Can the influence of mere learning account for the 
success of Christianity ? Knowledge always tends to en- 
lighten the understanding, and enlarge the mind. It 
shows man the reasons which should prompt him to 
action ; but it has no impelling force. It cannot make 
him act contrary to his will ; it cannot procure for him 
the drawings of the Spirit ; it can only teach him that 
there are such drawings. Now Christ hath said, " No 
man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent 
me, draw him." Nor can knowledge carry on the work 
of grace in the heart ; for it cannot secure the assistance 
of Christ, and " without me," saith Christ, " ye can do 
nothing ;" it cannot procure faith, and " the just shall live 
by faith." Now as knowledge cannot convert one man, 
nor carry on the work of grace in his heart, of course it 
cannot do this for any number of men ; and cannot, there- 
fore, account for the spread of Christianity. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 63 

We do not undervalue knowledge, however, but rejoice 
in its diffusion ; we believe that ministers of the gospel 
should acquire all the knowledge which they possibly can, 
and that the church should be engaged, heart and hand, 
in the cause of education. Knowledge, if under the con- 
trol of the Spirit of God, will be instrumental in the 
advancement of religion ; but if not, it will prove a curse. 
Paul was a man of learning, and he used it all in defence 
of religion ; but it was not his learning which converted 
souls ; he himself said, " I have planted, Apollos watered; 
but God gave the increase." Yes, God made use of 
PauPs learning to promote his own cause ; it was the 
Holy Spirit that applied the truth to the hearts of the 
apostle's hearers. To say that Paul's learning converted 
souls, would be as absurd as to say that the hammer 
drives the nail ; the fact is, the man drives the nail with 
an instrument, that is, a hammer ; so God uses instru- 
ments in extending his cause. Hence we see the im- 
portance of knowledge to Christians, whether ministers 
or private members. God does not now work miracles 
in bestowing it upon them ; but if they possess it, he uses 
it as an instrument in his cause ; if they have it not, of 
course all that good is lost which it might have been in- 
strumental in accomplishing. It is not reasonable to sup- 
pose that the fathers of the church, that Luther, Wesley, 
and men of later times, could have been instrumental in 
doing what they did for the church, had it not been for 
the learning which they acquired and consecrated to the 
cause. We see also the rank which knowledge must 
hold ; it must be under the control of the Holy Spirit. 
It must be sanctified in order to be of any service. And 
thus you again see, my brethren, how everything depends 
on the Spirit of God. " Not hy mighty nor hy power, but 
by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts J' 



64 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

V. Can the success of Christianity be explained on the 
ground of the eloquence which it has called forth ? I know 
the power of eloquence is tremendous. Under its influ- 
ence we behold multitudes at one time wrought up to 
frenzy, and at another melted into tears. Sometimes, like 
the mountain torrent, it seems to break down every 
opposing obstacle ; and sometimes, like the purling rivu- 
let, it winds itself into all the corners of tho heart. If 
there be any thing in this world, aside from religion, to 
which I would bow down in humble and implicit obe- 
dience, it is eloquence. I would live upon the words of 
the orator, could I not live upon the words of the Saviour, 
and receive from his lips that bread of life, which if any 
man eat, he shall live for ever. But eloquence, like 
knowledge, cannot convert or save one sinner, and cannot 
therefore account for the success of Christianity. It can- 
not break the sinner's stubborn will, else it would long 
since have been broken ; for it is heard throughout all 
nature, it is reiterated by conscience, it is echoed from 
every page of Holy Writ. It cannot give the falling tear 
that magic power which causes it to melt away all the 
chains of sin, and all the bars of unbelief. The Bible 
does indeed abound in eloquence, and its subjects are 
such as to call it into exercise. Men are often eloquent 
about the veriest trifles of time, and should not those holy 
men be eloquent who *' spake as they were moved by the 
Holy Ghost," when discoursing on the solemn realities of 
judgment and eternity 1 What other lips ever glowed with 
the eloquence of Isaiah and David, of Stephen and Paul ? 
And to what did they owe their eloquence ? To inspira- 
tion. What caused it to affect the hearts of men 1 The 
Holy Ghost. When Peter preached so eloquently on the 
day of Pentecost, it was not Peter who added so many to 
the church, but '* the Lord added daily such as should be 
saved." God was pleased to use Peter with all his elo- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 65 

quence as an instrument in his cause ; but, to fit him for 
his work, filled him with the Holy Ghost. Thus must it 
always be. Ministers must consecrate their eloquence, if 
they would have it instrumental in carrying on the tri- 
umphs of the cross. But the Spirit of God alone can 
consecrate it ; and hence again we see that it is not hy 
might, nor hy power, hut hy the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. 
From this subject we see, 

1. The necessity of a pious ministry. He who ventures 
upon the sacred office, and stands up as an ambassador 
for God, without being called by the Spirit of the Lord of 
hosts, cannot expect that Spirit to follow his words to the 
hearts, and apply them to the consciences, of his hearers. 
He who preaches for God, and yet in his life and conduct 
grieves the Spirit of God, cannot expect that Spirit to 
return to him when he ascends the sacred desk. God 
does generally work by hunian means to carry on his 
cause, but rarely does he use wicked men to carry it on : 
he is near to them who are of " an humble and contrite 
heart," " but he knoweth the proud afar off*." Ministers 
must be men " full of the Holy Ghost." " Not hy might, 
nor hy power, hut hy my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. ''^ 

2. The necessity of a pious church. Both ministers 
and people must be co-workers with God. The church 
must sustain its ministers in the arms of their faith and 
prayer. When Moses, the minister of the Lord, held up 
his hand, Israel prevailed against Amalek ; but when his 
hand fell, Amalek prevailed against Israel. But the hands 
of Moses were heavy, therefore Aaron and Hur held 
them up, and Israel triumphed. The minister's duty must 
always be arduous, and the church must assist him with 
their faithful labours ; his hands must often grow heavy, 
and the church must hold them up. But unless the church 
is pious, humble, and godly, she cannot do this ; for her 
sufficiency is of God alone. And if the minister's hands 



d6 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

fall, what will be the consequence ? When Moses' hands 
fell, Amalek prevailed ! O Almighty God ! suifer not the 
hands of thy ministers to fall for want of pious brethren 
to sustain them. I pray God to apply these solemn 
truths to my heart, and to the hearts of all my brethren. 
Let me entreat you to work for God. As you enter this 
sanctuary, pray for the Spirit of the Lord of hosts to enter 
wdth you ; as you sit here, pray that the Spirit may sit as 
a refiner's fire on every heart ; as you leave this place, 
pray that the Spirit may accompany you and all the con- 
gregation, and soften, change, and sanctify us all. Then 
shall Israel triumph over Amalek, heaven over hell. 
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, 
sAiTH THE Lord of hosts." 



SERMON IV. 

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy 

transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him 1 ^job 

XXXV, 6. 

Our ideas of the Deity are imperfect, and sometimes 
erroneous. Their imperfection is the result of our inability 
to comprehend his glorious character. This inability will 
continue to exist, in a greater or less degree, till we shall 
be admitted into his immediate presence, and " see him 
as he is." Then, disencumbered of these earthly taber- 
nacles, we shall see Vv^ith a spiritual vision, while eternity 
shall throw its clear and unbroken light upon the great 
Jehovah, and reveal to our enraptured sight his attributes, 
perfections, and glories. 

The erroneousness of our ideas respecting the Deity 
results from our ignorance, which is sometimes voluntary 
and wilful. With the Bible before us, we need not greatly 
err. And yet there are individuals, even at the present 
day, who, notwithstanding all the light which nature and 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 67 

revelation have shed around them, entertain notions of 
God more degrading than those of the ancient heathen 
philosophers. Some seem to think that he possesses but 
limited powers, and is, therefore, incapable of governing 
the wide universe, and submits it to the guidance of 
chance ; that he cannot carry into full and perfect execu- 
tion the laws which he hath made, nor exercise his 
sovereignty over the beings whom he hath created. 
Others suppose that he possesses passions like men. Be- 
cause he has made use of earthly language, in the descrip- 
tions of his character which he has condescended to give 
ns, in order that these descriptions might be adapted to 
our imperfect nature, they infer that he cannot love with- 
out passion, hate without malice, repent without change. 
Others assert that he does not hate sin with that intensity 
with which Christians declare he hates it : the ground of 
this assertion is, that sin, in their opinion, is a trifle un- 
worthy the notice of the Creator of the universe, and that 
he shows indifference to their actions : " for he maketh 
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 
rain on the just and on the unjust." But, O ! what pre- 
sumption to measure the Creator by the creature — the in- 
finitely holy God by an abject sinner ! " These things 
hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that 
I was altooether such a one as thyself; but I will re- 
prove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes." 
Others appear to believe that sin is a positive injury to 
God, that their transgressions actually harm him, and that 
this is the reason of his strong desires for their repentance 
and obedience. And perhaps some have embraced this 
opinion, from the fact that ministers-of the gospel,, in per- 
suading men to lead holy lives, urge, as an inducement, 
that sin is hateful to God, and holiness pleasing in his 
sight. In doing this, however, we by no means inculcate 
the sentiment that sin is an injury to the Deity. If you 



68 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

have gathered it from any of our discourses, we disclaim 
it ; it is your own illogical inference. We urge these 
high and holy reasons, not to deceive you with regard to 
the character of our Master, but because in them are con- 
tained the strongest, the loftiest motives which can act 
upon the human will. We know that in labouring to 
please God, you act most in conformity with that reason- 
able nature with which he has endowed you, and add to 
your own character its highest dignity and brightest lustre ; 
that your dearest interests for time and for eternity depend 
upon averting his wrath, and securing his favour. We 
have no reason to fear for God. Sin as much as you will, 
what injury can you do him ? '' If thou sinnest, what doest 
thou against him ? or if thy transgressions he multiplied, 
what doest thou unto him ?" In discoursing upon these 
words I propose, with divine assistance, to show you that 
sin cannot lessen the power, disturb the happiness, nor 
impair the glory of God. 

I. Sin cannot lessen the poioer of God. God is a self- 
existent and independent being. He is also omniscient, 
omnipresent, and omnipotent. Such is the description of 
himself Avhich he has given us in his own word. He 
beholds not only the actions of men, but also of individuals ; 
he witnesses not only the outward acts, but also the 
motives which cause them ; he gazes not only upon the 
countenance, but also upon the heart ; entering even into 
the secret chambers of the soul, beholding all its passions 
and emotions, and reading all its thoughts : " All things 
are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom 
we have to do." He is not only in the heavens above, 
but also in the earth beneath : " Whither shall I flee from 
thy presence ?" He has all power in heaven and in 
earth : " He doeth according to his will in the army of 
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ; and none 
can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou ?" No 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 69 

event, then, in this wide universe, takes place without his 
notice and his permission, for he has not only made the laws 
which govern both matter and mind, but is present in those 
laws, developing their results. Chance is a thing unknown ; 
all is God directing, or God permitting. No free agent 
acts independently of him, for from him he derives, 
through the medium of second causes, his intellectual and 
physical strength. True, he permits us to go on in the 
exercise of our free agency, either in the path of virtue or 
of vice, reserving to himself the power to overrule our 
actions, and to mark out the limits over which we cannot 
pass. All things, all creatures, all men, are then at his 
disposal, and he is sovereign over them all. The world 
is still his kingdom, though it has revolted from him ; men 
are still his subjects, though they are in arms against him ; 
but they could have no power to rebel without his per- 
mission, for he alone preserves them in existence. You 
may render a monarch powerless by depriving him of his 
resources, since these are derived either from his own 
subjects, or from foreign powers. But the resources of 
the King of kings are both underived and infinite ; how 
then can you diminish or exhaust them ? How can the 
sins of empires or of worlds subtract any thing from his 
omnipotence ? We may by sin impair our own powers, 
physical, intellectual, and moral ; we may even render 
society powerless for all the purposes of its institution. 
Thus the drunkard may spread over his countenance the 
hue of sallow paleness ; he may manifest the prostration 
of all physical energy by the trembling hand, the faltering 
step, and the fluttering pulse, till exhausted nature- sinks 
into the grave ; but God is still almighty ! The debauchee 
may walk in the paths of licentiousness, turning his body, 
once beautiful and noble, into a sink of pollution, till the 
earth hides him from our view ; but Jehovah is still omni- 
potent ! The skeptic may hug infidelity to his bosom till 



70 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNINGf. 

its fangs shall have paralyzed his conscience, maddened 
his will, and destroyed his affections ; but God still exists 
infinite in resources to reward the virtuous, and to punish 
the vicious. So the whole community may indulge in 
wickedness till its pillars are all destroyed, and the social 
fabric falls, to crush beneath its cumbrous weight those 
whom it was designed to protect ; but God still sits upon 
a throne, the permanency and resources of which are 
alike unaffected by the convulsions of the material, and 
the commotions of the moral world. The consequences 
fall on creatures, but reach not the Creator ; his position 
places him for ever above them all. 

II. Sin cannot disturb the happiness of God. Jehovah 
is perfectly happy in his own perfections ; he was so be- 
fore the creation of a single being or a single world ; he 
will be so for ever. The happiness of all other beings is 
derived from him, its exhaustless source. True, he has 
been pleased, in the fulness of his love, to manifest a pe- 
culiar affection for man, and a strong desire for his feli- 
city. Hence we see him at one time leaning over Israel, 
and, in view of their apostacy, crying out, " O that they 
were wise, that they understood this, that they would 
consider their latter end !" At another, bending over Je- 
rusalem, and giving vent to the compassionate feelings of 
his soul in language of moving, melting tenderness, " O 
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and 
stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather 
her brood under her wings, and ye would not !" Hence 
his wi)rd, in which he assures us that he loves holiness 
and hates sin ; that he has no pleasure in the death of 
the wicked ; that he is unwilling that any should perish, 
but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth. 
Why, but for our sakes, does the sacred volume abound 
in awful threatenings and tender promises, in moving ex- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 71 

hortations and afFectionate entreaties ? Read on its every 
page the regard which Jehovah has for your welfare. 
See it in his works ! He gives his only-begotten, well- 
beloved Son to die in your stead. The Father bestows 
his best gift upon rebels that they may be reconciled to 
him ; the Son endures the greatest sufferings that we may 
be freed from sin and hell ; the Holy Ghost incessantly 
labours to bring us back to God ; the institutions and in- 
fluences of the gospel are all employed to raise us to 
heaven. Can we doubt the ardency or sincerity of God's 
desires for our salvation 1 Hath he not done quite as 
much to secure it, as if it were actually necessary to his 
felicity ? But do not hence infer that such is the fact. 
O no ; he can do without us ! 

The sins of a world cannot disturb his happiness, since 
it is derived from himself alone ; he is perfectly inde- 
pendent. Can the sins of man mar any of his attributes, 
or tarnish any of his perfections ? Can they thwart any 
of his plans, defeat any of his purposes, annul any of his 
laws ? These he has placed for ever beyond the power 
of all created beings. Between us and these he has fixed 
the limits of human agency : " thus far shalt thou go, but 
no farther." How then, I ask, can the sinner impair the 
bliss of God, since its source is infinitely beyond his 
reach ? Sin affects creatures alone, and makes them 
miserable. I do not limit its effects to man, for the irra- 
tional creation suffers from his cruelty ; nor do we know 
what effects the example of man's apostacy has had and 
may still have upon other worlds. But they are not felt 
in heaven. 

Does the objector ask whether a benevolent God does 
not suffer in beholding the miseries of his creatures ? 
Why should he, since man brings them upon himself by 
his own wilful disobedience ? But follow out your in- 
quiry, and you will be forced to say that the Creator is 



72 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

more wretched than any of his creatures. And must not 
reason deny your words ? The heavenly host, however, 
bring in their testimony, and declare that God created all 
things, and sustains all things in existence for his plea- 
sure. " Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory, and 
honour, and power : for thou hast created all things, and 
for thy pleasure they are and were created." The inquiry 
shows us clearly how limited are the objector's views of 
the character of God. It is necessary that we should 
take a more comprehensive view of his nature, and con- 
sider him in the capacity of a holy Lawgiver. Infinite 
wisdom, justice, and love, were all employed in making 
the laws by which the imiverse is governed ; in these 
laws even mortals may behold these attributes of the 
Deity. By consequence, infinite wisdom must have fore- 
seen distinctly all the bearings and effects of these laws 
upon the diflferent orders of beings, and infinite love must 
have rejoiced in them ; almighty power is fully sufficient 
to secure the existence of legitimate effects, and in these 
there can be nothing prejudicial or unjust. As a lawgiver, 
then, of unerring wisdom and boundless love, Jehovah must 
supremely delight in the results of law, whether they are 
chanted in the chiming notes of angels, or shrieked forth, 
in the helpless moans of damned spirits ! Zaleucus, the 
Locrian prince, delighted in the supremacy of law, though 
it involved the sufiering of his son. The son had been 
condemned to lose both eyes, as the penalty for his crime. 
Pity prompted the father to deprive him of but one ; the 
feelings of the lawgiver, to pluck out one of his own. 
And shall an earthly prince take greater delight in the 
results of law than the Governor of the universe ? The 
pity of the Father prompted him to give to us his Son, 
that through his death we might enjoy eternal life. " To 
testify his aflfection for us, he sent down his own bowels." 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 73 

But he needs not our company in heaven, nor will he 
suffer on account of our pains in hell ! 

III. Sin cannot impair the glory of God. God's glory 
is said to be promoted by the conversion of sinners, the 
obedience of the faithful, and the prosperity of Zion. By 
this, however, we mean that his glory appears greater in 
the sight of men. Such we believe to be the fact, and 
believing we rejoice. But God's glory, in itself, is neither 
diminished nor increased by any of the actions of men or 
angels. For no created beings can add to the nature of 
the Creator — the source of his glory. " God is the foun- 
tain of his own blessedness, the theatre of his own glory, 
the glass of his own beauty. One drop increases the 
ocean, but to God a million of worlds can add nothing,'' 
How can you impair his glory but by impairing his na- 
ture ? And that, we have shown you, you cannot touch ! 
It is above the reach of sin I On the contrary, sin, the 
transgression of his law, gives new occasion for the dis- 
play of his perfections ; and hence, counter to the wishes 
of the sinner, promotes that glory which he designed to 
impair. This principle is beautifully developed in the 
inspired words of the psalmist : " The wrath of man shall 
praise thee : the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." 

Do we wish for illustrations in proof of this position ? 
Go back to ancient days, when Egypt's proud king hard- 
ened his heart, and refused to let Jehovah's captive tribes 
go free. See the plagues which were sent upon the 
Egyptians, till their wisest magicians were overpowered 
and confounded before the presence of the servant of the 
Lord. See Jehovah multiplying his wonders in the land, 
till the voice of mourning over Egypt's first-born melted 
her monarch's heart. Behold the Israelites taking their 
departure ; they reach the shores of the sea, when lo ! 
the waves, dividing, form themselves in walls on either 
side to open a way for the hosts of God. Pharaoh, frantic 

4 



74 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

with rage, pursues them with his army ; but the prophet's 
wand causes the billows to unite again, and the rushing 
waves drown the death-notes of Egypt's sons ! But for 
the wrath of that haughty king, Eg^^pt might never have 
witnessed those miracles which exhibited so conspicuously 
the glory of the Hebrews' God. That song of praise and 
triumph would never have ascended from Horeb's mount, 
nor echoed over the billowy sea : " Who is like unto thee, 
O Lord, among the gods ? who is like thee, glorious in 
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders ?" 

See Nebuchadnezzar in his impiety erecting the golden 
image, and in his rage casting the Hebrew children into 
the " burning, fiery furnace." But lo ! they walk unhurt 
amid the curling flames, for the Son of God hath owned 
his servants, and walketh with them as their Saviour. 
But for the wrath of this idolater, Dura's plain might never 
have been graced with the presence of the Son of God ; 
the royal decree might never have been made that the 
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneoro is above all 
other gods. 

See Darius at the mouth of the lion's den, calling upon 
Daniel. See Jehovah glorified in the punishment of those 
who raged against his prophet. But for the wrath of 
man, Assyria might not have owned him as her Lord. 

Come down to later times, when the Jews triumphed 
in naiUng the Messiah to the cross. That cross, they 
thought, would be in after times the emblem of the igno- 
minious punishment of an impostor ; but it is the sacred 
emblem of the death of Him who rose from the grave that 
we might live. It is this which the devoted missionary 
carries with him as he goes to heathen lands, to proclaim 
" glad tidings of great joy," and to bring " life and immor- 
tality to light." It has waved in triumph over a prostrate 
empire — it shall wave over a conquered world ! The 
Jews in their wrath were but instruments in offering up 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 75 

the great sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. And 
O ! how has their wrath praised God ! What countless 
multitudes on earth have already glorified him for the 
gift of his dear Son! and the day is fast approaching 
when all the inhabitants of earth shall sing the song of 
angels, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men." And could we for a moment 
escape from these bodies, and ascend to heaven — O, 
could we hear the choral song of saints and angels 
around the throne, " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and 
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb for ever and ever," would not our ideas of his 
glory be brightened and enlarged ! 

The very sufferings of the lost will show forth the per- 
fections of the Deity ; they are the direct results of holy 
laws, and the direful effects of sin. And to the view of 
created beings in heaven, additional glory will gather 
around the Deity as his perfections are unfolded to their 
gaze. Holy beings will have stronger inducements to 
glorify him, because he executes his laws in discerning 
between the righteous and the wicked, and thus shows 
the justice of his character and the unchangeableness of 
his nature. Never, then, let us imagine that our praises 
are necessary to the glory of the Deity. O no ! our weep- 
ings and our wailings will answer quite as well. 

You see from this subject how small is the motive to 
sin. If what we have said be true, and for its truth we 
confidently appeal to both reason and revelation, your sins 
cannot harm the Deity. Do all you can, and " He that 
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh ; the Lord shall have" 
you " in derision." But your sins, if continued in, will 
ruin you eternally. If you are determined and reckless 
in opposition, go forward ! Gather all your resources, 
summon all your energies, put forth all your efforts ; but 
remember, as they fall upon " the thick bosses of Jeho- 



76 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

vah's buckler," they will rebound upon yourselves with 
redoubled fury ! He has been perfectly disinterested in 
the great work of your redemption ; he requires your 
obedience, " not that he may be happy, but liberal," and 
that his goodness may reward you. " If thou be righteous, 
what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine 
hand ?" The interest is all on your side. Hence we beg 
you to desist. Say, will you ? We beg you in the name 
of Him who hath " done as much for your salvation as if 
his felicity were imperfect without yours." O ! will you 
yield to our entreaties ? We are not concerned for God, 
but we are concerned for you. Our concern, however, 
will soon end, for our destiny and yours will be soon 
fixed for ever. Blessed be God, our hearts shall not 
always throb thus wildly with anxiety for your welfare. 
But now we entreat you — " we pray you in Christ's stead, 
be ye reconciled to God." For " if thou sinnest, what 
doest thou against him ?" " He that sinneth against me," 
saith the Lord, " wrongeth his own soul." 



SERMON V. 

It 18 A PEARTUL THING TO PALL INTO THE HANDS OP THE LIVING 

God. — Hebrews x, 31. 

The apostle introduces these words with great solem- 
nity. He has been speaking of Jesus Christ as the great 
sacrifice once offered for the sins of the world, and has 
illustrated the subject by reference to those sacrifices 
which were offered by the Jewish priests to atone for the 
sins of the people. He next exhorts his brethren, in view 
of this subject, to approach with boldness unto God, and 
to hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering. 
And then, in a comprehensive manner, he places before 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 77 

them those motives to obedience which are drawn from 
the justice and severity of God ; closing the whole with 
the assertion, " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God." In this expression every word is full 
of meaning, and is so arranged as to arrest and fasten 
our attention. Whatever may be our views of the charac- 
' ter t)f God, we cannot read this passage without feeling ; 
for there is something in it which involuntarily excites 
sentiments of awe. And as if to render it more impres- 
sive, the apostle has used a military phrase. It exactly 
expresses the condition of a man who has set himself ia 
array against his enemy, who has fought long and hard 
for victory, and has had recourse to every stratagem and 
manoeuvre which could promise success ; but who has 
been overpowered by his antagonist. How dreadfully 
expressive is this of the condition of every sinner, and 
how fearfully does it intimate the doom which must fall 
upon him when God shall win the victory ! It is rendered 
still more solemn by the fact that the apostle transfers 
the scene of this catastrophe to eternity — eternity which 
is half veiled in darkness, and half illumined by the 
reflected light of revelation. So solemn, and so compre- 
hensive is this passage of Holy Writ. No human lips are 
adequate to discuss it, and yet it stands intimately con- 
nected with our eternal happiness. Let us then implore 
the blessing of Almighty God while we venture to consi- 
der it. Let us ask his assistance while we endeavour to 
exhibit some of the reasons which render li fearful to fall 
into his hands. 

I. God is infinitely holy. It is much to be feared that 
many do not reflect upon the character of God, and that 
many more do not reflect upon it in a proper manner. We 
are " of the earth, earthy." Conversant only with mate- 
rial things, we have but little conception of spiritual 
existences. Belonging to a depraved and sinful race, and 



78 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

being sinful ourselves, we have but very faint ideas of 
infinite purity and holiness. But God is not like the sinful 
beings who dwell upon his footstool. " My thoughts are 
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 
the Lord." God possesses the quality of holiness in an 
infinite degree, and he exhibits it in his works, and ways, 
and attributes ; " glorious in holiness, fearful in praS^, 
doing wonders." The prophet had a glance of the holi- 
ness of God when he saw him " sitting upon a throne, 
high and lifted up ;" and when the seraphim over the 
throne " cried one unto another, and said. Holy, holy, 
holy, is the Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of his 
glory." And it was this view which caused him, though 
an inspired servant of God, to cry out, " Wo is me ! for 
I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I 
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine 
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." 

Now the sinner hates holiness, and this is what will 
render it so fearful for him to fall into the hands of a holy 
God. This hatred is often exhibited on earth. The sanc- 
tuary is sometimes deserted, because there is heard the 
command, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." The Bible is 
often abused, and trodden under foot, because it condemns 
sin ; yea, its pure and heavenly precepts are, by many, 
eagerly exchanged for the corrupting works of the licen- 
tious. The children of God have often been deprived of 
civil and religious liberty ; they have been put to the tor- 
ture, and burned at the stake, because they lifted up their 
voices against sin. Sinners vent their spite against God, 
by taking vengeance on his people. All this hatred to 
holiness has been exhibited by many men when they 
have possessed but very faint conceptions of the infinite 
degree in which this attribute exists in Jehovah. How 
much more then shall this be increased when they shall 
see with a spiritual vision ; when they shall behold their 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 79 

Maker face to face, and stand in the immediate presence of 
those flaming eyes which shall pierce the soul like a two- 
edged sword ? If they hated him when they scarcely had 
even a faint idea of his holiness, how much more shall 
they do so when this idea shall be brightened by the 
awful refulgence of eternity ? 

Nor is this all. Were hatred confined to the breast of 
man alone, the efl'ect would be less dreadful. But sin 
is the " abominable thing" which the Lord hateth, and 
" the great day of his wrath is come." He will no longer 
make unto the sinner manifestations of love, but of hatred ; 
and his wrath shall wax hotter and hotter. For, as God 
is infinitely holy, he supremely loves virtue in all his 
creatures, and supremely hates vice. Even now " God 
is angry with the wicked every day ;" but when the dis- 
pensation of mercy shall have ended, he will more signally 
than ever display his hatred to sin. 

Look then for a moment on the picture thus presented. 
Here is the eternal and holy God gazing on the sinner 
with supreme and unchangeable hatred to sin ; laying 
aside all the bowels of his love, and clothing himself in 
the fierceness of his anger. There is the weak, defence- 
less sinner, writhing under the searching glance of infi- 
nite holiness, and driven to anguish by a hatred to that 
holiness ; a hatred which can never be gratified, but which 
must for ever prey upon himself, and for ever increase in 
intensity. This earth can never disclose to us one such 
scene, but the gTcat day shall disclose many. Time shall 
not witness such terrific visions, but eternity shall gaze 
upon them. Judge ye, my hearers, if it be not " a fear- 
ful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 

n. God is infinitely just. The ideli of infinite justice 
is necessarily included in that of infinite holiness. Still 
it is proper to dwell upon it at length, that we may more 
fully comprehend the meaning of our text. And especially 



80 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

is it proper to do so, since in these days God is exhibited 
to us chiefly in his mildest attributes of love and mercy. 
These should indeed lead us to repentance ; but it is 
much to be feared that upon many they produce no such 
effect, but tend rather to carelessness and sluggishness, 
which portend wrath to come. They do not even ex- 
cite feelings of reverence and love, but seal the slumbers 
of many a conscience which must awake to repentance in 
time, or to misery in eternity. Jehovah has other attri- 
butes which are calculated to excite us to activity and 
diligence. Such is his infinite justice ; an attribute which 
he expressly appropriates to himself in his written word. 
In that account of his character which he condescended 
to give to his servant Moses, he emphatically calls him- 
self one " that will by no means clear the guilty." 

God's justice is not fully revealed in his dealings with 
man in this world, and the reason is evident ; this is a 
state of probation, not of rewards and punishments ; a dis- 
pensation of mercy, not of retributive justice. But this 
does not lessen the proof of his infinite justice, but rather 
strengthens it. There have, however, been instances, 
even in this dispensation of mercy, of human beings who 
have filled up the measure of their iniquities. The arm 
of justice has not only been uplifted, but has actually 
fallen upon the transgressor. The Most Mighty has 
girded his sword upon his thigh. Look into the bowels 
of the earth, and behold the proof of that mighty deluge 
which inundated it, and swept off its inhabitants ! Go 
seek for Sodom and the cities of the plain ! Inquire after 
the Jews, their temple, their city, and their nation. All, 
all have fallen by the stroke of justice. From what the 
human race has already witnessed, and from what God 
expressly declares himself to be, we may gain some idea 
of that infinite justice which he will exhibit at the final 
judgment. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 8l"^ 

The character of the sinner is precisely the reverse 
of the character of God ; and hence the fearfulness of 
falling into his hands. The sinner has manifested his 
injustice in his dealings with his God, and with his fellow- 
men. Notwithstanding all the morality of which men 
boast, no unconverted man loves the Lord his God with 
all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind ; 
and his neighbour as himself. We have all actually 
robbed God of the gratitude, the obedience, and the love, 
which he rightfully demands ; and if we have not robbed 
our neighbour of his property, his character, and his re- 
putation, we have robbed him of the affection which God 
commands us to give him ; and if these sins are unrepent- 
ed of and unforgiven, they will lie at our door for ever. 

Such, then, is the character of every sinner, and such 
the character of the God with whom he has to do. O ! 
then, what will be his feelings when, w^th all his sins 
upon him, he shall stand before the Judge of quick and 
dead ! What convulsive shuddering shall seize him as he 
reads in living characters, " Justice and judgment are the 
habitation of thy throne /" What anguish will rend his soul 
as memory shall recall the sins of a whole life, and set 
them before him in all the vividness of present reality ! 
Or could memory fail in discharging her duty, a prompt- 
er, an awful prompter is at hand ; for there lies the book 
of God's remembrance, and on its imperishable leaves are 
recorded the deeds he has done in the body; and for 
every idle word which he has spoken he must give an 
account. O ! how shall every susceptibility of his soul 
be increased when, in the blazing light of eternity, he 
shall see, more clearly than he ever before had done, the 
true nature of right and wrong, the exceeding sinfulness 
of sin, the paltry price for which he sold his soul, and 
the infinite majesty of the righteous God whom he has 
offended. How shall he tremble when the sentence of 

4* 



82 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

justice shall be pronounced ; a sentence which must be 
comprehensive enough to embrace a punishment for every 
sin, and severe enough to vindicate the claims of a holy 
laAV, and the dignity of an impartial lawgiver ; a sentence 
which, however comprehensive and severe it may be, the 
sinner will feel does not, cannot exceed the demerit of his 
crimes ! And what excuse has he to offer ? None. What 
plea of extenuation can he make ? None. His mouth is 
stopped, and he is guilty before God ; for " God is justified 
when he speaketh, and clear when he judgeth." 

And what are the feelings of the Judge as he beholds 
the sinner at his bar ? He gave him a holy law, but this 
the sinner would not obey. He offered him pardon 
through the blood of atonement, on condition of repentance 
and faith, but this he would not accept. He wooed him 
with pity and love, but he turned away with contempt. 
He placed beacon-lights along his path to warn him of 
his danger, but these he would not regard. The sinner 
was hent on death. Can God then look upon him with 
complacency, Avith compassion, with love ? O no ! his 
justice forbids it, and he swears in his wrath, he shall 
not enter into his rest. " Because I have called, and ye 
refused ; I have stretched out my hand, and no man re- 
garded ; but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and 
would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your 
calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh." " De- 
part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels." " It is a fearful thing to 
fall into th€ hands of the living God." 

in. God is infinitely powerful. Were he only a holy 
and just being, but incapable of manifesting his hatred to 
sin, and of executing the demands of justice, the sinner's 
condition would be far more tolerable. He is, however, 
not only the Judge, but the executioner, clothed with the 
armour of omnipotence. " If I whet my glittering sword, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 83 

and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render ven- 
geance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate 
me ;" '' neither is there any that can deliver out of my 
hand." " God hath spoken once ; twice have I heard 
this, that power belongeth unto God." It is manifest in 
the formation of our world, and in the formation of the 
wide universe. " He spake, and it was done ; he com- 
manded, and it stood fast." Who, but an omnipotent God, 
could call into existence world after world, and fill them 
with an endless variety of animate and inanimate objects ? 
Who, but an omnipotent God, could sustain these worlds 
in existence with all their countless inhabitants, could 
place them in their separate orbits, and appoint unto them 
their bounds, and the times of their revolutions ? Who, 
but an omnipotent God, can destroy what omnipotence 
hath created ? Look where you will, into the vast and 
the minute, both in the material and immaterial world, 
and you cannot but see the agency of omnipotence. " Lo, 
these are parts of his ways ; but how little a portion is 
heard of him ? but the thunder of his power who can un- 
derstand ?" 

How much more gloriously and fearfully shall this 
omnipotence be displayed when " the shadows of time 
shall have flitted away, and the light of eternity shall 
break in upon our open vision !" How much of his omni- 
potence he will then exert we do not know ; but this we 
know, that his power will awake the sleeper,' whether in 
the bosom of earth, or in the un fathomed caves of ocean. 
It will animate the lifeless clay, and join bone to bone, 
limb to limb, and soul to body, and bid the man arise, and 
come to judgment. The sinner may have turned a deaf 
ear to the voice of an entreating vSaviour, but he cannot 
turn a deaf ear to that Saviour when he appears as Judge. 
He may have slighted the invitations of mercy, but he 
cannot slight the summons of the judgment-trumpet. 



84 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

God's power shall chain the sinner to his bar while the 
great trial is pending, and while his flaming eyes dart 
through him, rending his soul with bitterest anguish ; it 
shall prevent the rocks and mountains from falling on 
him, and hiding him from the face of him that sitteth on 
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb ; it shall set 
fire to this world in which he has lived in wantonness ; 
it shall change his material into a spiritual body, possess- 
ing new susceptibilities for suffering, and an unthought- 
of ability of enduring the whole weight of his anger ; it 
shall stamp upon it the impress of eternity — an impress 
which neither suffering nor anguish can efface — and bid 
it live for ever with its immortal companion, the sinful 
soul. God's omnipotence shall put into full and terrible 
execution the sentence which his justice shall pronounce. 
It shall drive the sinner from hope and mercy, and give 
him over to despair — to " weeping and gnashing of teeth" 
— to " the worm that dieth not." " It is a fearful thing to 
fall into the hands of the living God," because that God is 
omnipotent. There can be no resistance, no escape for 
ever and ever. But I leave this topic ; it is too awful to 
dwell upon longer. Yet, O ! let us ask ourselves in pass- 
ing, If the mere thought of this suffering be so painful, 
what must be the suffering itself? 

IV. ''It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
living God^'' because there will he then nothing to prevent the 
full exercise rf his infinite holiness, justice, and power against 
us. The Bible nowhere gives us any gTound to infer that 
there will bo any other state of probation than that which 
this life secures. On the contrary, it authorizes us to be- 
lieve that death ends our probation, and that our accounts 
will then be sealed up to the judgment of the great day. 
Then he that is unjust will be unjust still : and he that is 
filthy will be filthy still : and he that is righteous will be 
righteous still : and he that is holy will be holy still. At 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 85 

that day we shall be judged according to the deeds done 
in the body. The body we shall leave in the grave, there 
to slumber till the resurrection morning ; and when that 
morning shall daw^n upon us, the dispensation of mercy 
as it respects the whole human family will be closed for 
ever. Yes, the apostle assures us that the Saviour will 
then resign his mediatorial office, and deliver up the 
kingdom to God, even the Father. 

The dispensation of mercy having past, that of justice 
will follow ; for this, the dispensation of rewards and 
punishments, the revelator assures us, will open with 
the dawning of the resurrection. God shall then " reward 
every man according to his works." • Mercy can no longer 
interfere, and justice knows no mercy. The blessed 
Saviour has hitherto acted as our intercessor before the 
throne of his Father, but he can do so no longer. When 
the arm of justice was uplifted to destroy us, he inter- 
posed and cried, Spare them. Father, yet a little longer. 
Yea, he himself bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, 
but he can do so no more for ever. There is no longer 
any days-man between the sinner and his God, who can 
lay his hand upon them both. No, his meek, forgiving, 
interceding Jesus is now transformed into a Judge, stern 
and inflexible. " Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and 
every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced 
him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of 
him. Even so. Amen." Yes, the Mediator's character 
is lost in that of the Judge, and God is not now " in 
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself," but is " a 
consuming fire." 

The dispensation of mercy having ended, and that of 
justice having opened ; the Mediator having resigned his 
office, and God having assumed all his severity; what 
shall prevent the full exercise of his holiness, justice, and 
omnipotence 1 What shall prevent our drinking of " the 



86 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without 
mixture into the cup of his indignation ?" O ! it is a 
fearful thing to fall into the hands of a holy, a just, an 
omnipotent, and unchanging God. These his attributes, 
while they comprise every circumstance which can render 
the happiness of the blessed desirable, comprise every 
circumstance which can render the misery of the lost in- 
describably awful. " It is a fearful thing to fall into the 
hands of the living God." 

Christian brethren, are these things so ? Is it really 
true that all these things are in reserve for that day, 
" when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with 
his mighty angels, irf flaming fire, taking vengeance on 
them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ ?" Yes, we profess to believe it, 
frightful and appalling as it is. What, then, are we doing ? 
Are we praying for sinners who are exposed to all this 
weight of wo 1 Are we exhorting them to flee from the 
wrath to come ? Do we feel for them any of that com- 
passion which Jehovah felt when he forsaw the wicked- 
ness and misery of Israel, and cried out, " O that they 
were wise, that they understood this, that they would con- 
sider their latter end ?" O ! let us be up and doing, work- 
ing while the day lasts. We may, if faithful, be instru- 
mental in plucking one brand from the everlasting burnings. 
How laudable the object ! How worthy our constant and 
untiring exertions ! 

Impenitent friends, we have no other motive in preach- 
ing to you " the terror of the Lord" than a desire to per- 
suade you to be reconciled to God. Far more pleasant 
would it be for us to exhibit to you his unbounded conde- 
scension, his surpassing kindness, and his infinite love. 
We sometimes endeavour to place before you these attri- 
butes in all their loveliness, that you may be induced to 
love him who has first loved you. But, alas ! these in- 



REiMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 87 

ducements frequently fail to produce in you a change from 
sin to holiness, from hatred to love. Still it would be 
more pleasant for us to dwell upon such topics alone, were 
it consistent with our duty to ourselves, our God, and you. 
But we must warn the wricked of his danger, that his 
blood be not required at our hands. We must not hesitate 
" to declare unto you all the counsel of God," as far as it 
is revealed unto us, that God may appear just and holy in 
all his ways. We must " set before you life and death, 
blessing and cursing," that you may not rise up in the 
judgment, and point at us your finger, and say, " You did 
not warn me ! You did not warn me !" We preach to 
you in kindness, though we must preach to you plainly. 
We realize, in some degree, your awful danger of falling 
into the hands of the living God, and we feel for you. 
Yes, the church feels for you. O ! will you feel for your- 
selves ? Will you think of these things ? Will you lay 
your plans for death and judgment 1 Will you live and 
act for eternity, as well as for time ? Will you flee from 
the wrath to come ? Blessed be God, you are still in a 
state of probation, your day of grace has not yet past, the 
door of mercy is still open. O run ! run for your life ! 
Enter in, and be saved from falling into the hands of the 
living God ! 



88 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



NOTES OF SERMONS, 



I. 

If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.—* 
Exodus xxxiii, 15. 

Such was the language of Moses when commanded to 
go before the tribes of Israel to the promised land. He 
had but recently descended the awful mount where he had 
received the law, and held communion with Jehovah. 
The Israelites, having grown impatient at his delay, had 
revolted from God. The painful news had been commu- 
nicated to him by God, joined with fearful intimations of 
coming vengeance. Grief and anger swelled the bosom 
of Moses, and he felt that he was the shepherd of a wan- 
dering, wayward flock. The sons of Levi alone gathered 
around him, and, by divine command, went forth to the 
slaughter of Israel. But rivers of blood could not wash 
away the sin, nor appease God's anger. He issued the 
order, " Depart, and go up hence," &c., Exod. xxxiii, 1—3. 
Well might Moses hesitate and inquire, " Wherein shall 
it be known here, that I and thy people have found grace 
in thy sight ? is it not in that thou goest with us ?" Exod. 
xxxiii, 16, saying, " If thy presence go not with me, carry 
us not up hence." The Christian minister may with pro- 
priety adopt this language as he goes to the field of labour 
which Providence has assigned to him. This will appear 
obvious if you consider, 

I. The nature of the work which he is called to perform. 
He is sent not to instruct men in the arts or sciences, 
not to lead them through the green paths of literature, or 
the stormy scenes of political life. These he might en- 
gage in with no fears, and pursue without divine assist- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 89 

ance. His is a greater work ; to teach men the science 
of salvation — the plan of mercy — to watch over them, and 
lead them from the brink of hell to the gate of heaven ! 
Hence Mark xvi, 15 ; Acts xx, 28 ; and 2 Tim. iv, 1, 2. 
He is then to labour for, 

1 . The awakening and conversion of sinners. Wherever 
he goes he will find them insensible, asleep ; his is the 
task to arouse, invite, and urge them, by all that is tender 
and awful, and to lead them to the hallowed cross. 

2. The edification and sanctification of believers. When 
they are converted, his labour is but just begun ; they are 
weak, tempted, and afflicted. He is their shepherd and 
guide— responsible in some degree, and freed from this 
responsibility only when he or they are removed from 
each other, or from the earth. Would you know the 
labours this work imposes ? Learn them from the lives of 
Christ and his apostles, and from the nature of the work 
itself. There is no ease, no trifling, for eternity is at 
stake ! 

n. The difficulties that lie in his way. 
Some of them are, 

1. The coldness of Christians. These ought to be, 
and usually are, his fellow-labourers. Sometimes, how- 
ever, they are tardy and slothful. The world, the flesh, 
and Satan, interfere with their duties ; they do not labour 
with all their souls. Sometimes they fall into sin — into 
apostacy — disgrace the cause, and grieve God. 

2. The hostility of the human heart to God and holy 
things. This is the doctrine of the Bible, the experience 
of the world. Our message is unpleasant, our truths 
unwelcome, and man rouses up to repel, refute, and cavil. 
O sin, how hast thou blinded and maddened the human race ! 

3. Love of the world and sin. " I have loved strangers, 
and after them will I go." Yes, the whole soul is wedded 
to sin, and its afl'ections glued to earth. Wc come to 



90 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

divorce and sever ; will it be strange if this prove diffi- 
cult? We come not to possess an unoccupied, but to 
repossess an inhabited land. Need we not an angel to 
go before us ? 

4. The opposition of Satan. " We wrestle not against 
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against 
spiritual Avickedness in high places.*' Powers of dark- 
ness combine to oppose us ! Fearful host ! Strong, artful, 
and malicious ; how various and complicated their means 
of assault ! Man, noble, dignified, is too often their victim. 

III. The smallness of his own resources. 

Health sometimes forsakes him, and his body lies 
exhausted and nerveless under excessive labour. Will 
not every faithful minister die at last a martyr 1 The 
mind, too, loses its strength and elasticity through care, 
anxiety, trouble, and sickness. This is but a fair picture 
of man. O how few and feeble his powers ! And what, 
I ask, is a perfect man to this great work — a work which 
" filled a Saviour's hands ?" What are splendid talents ? 
They cannot save one soul ! What is moving, melting 
eloquence ? It cannot draw the worldling from his idols ; 
it cannot break the chains of sin . Summon all our 
resources, they are inadequate to the mighty work of 
saving souls. " Our sufficiency is of God." '\,The excel- 
lency of the poiver is of God, and not of us.'^ If there be 
one revealed truth clearer than another it is this. With 
deep and impassioned feeling, then, may we not say in 
the words of the text, " If thy presence go not with us, 
carry us not up hence /"' It is the language of my soul. 
"My presence shall go with thee." Kind assurance ! is it 
already given ? O that that presence might to-day be 
manifested in power and glory in this assembly ! O that 
it may overshadow this sacred desk, as the cherubim 
overshadowed the mercy seat ! 



REMAINS Of REV. J. W. DOWNING. 91 

/ 

II. 

Without God in the world. — Eph. ii, 12. 

Such is a part of Paul's description of the Gentiles. 
It was an affirmation made of all, whatever might have 
been their degree of civilization or degradation. It included 
alike the polished Athenian and the barbarous Scythian. 
The same description is equally applicable to every care- 
less sinner at the present day, except in one particular, 
viz., he has a theoretical knowledge of God, which the 
heathen had not. It is this knowledge, and the effects 
resulting from it, which distinguish us from the heathen. 
Yes, be it remembered, that it is to revelation we are 
indebted for the untold blessings of our social organiza- 
tion. vStill, every careless sinner is a practical atheist. 
This is indeed a hard saying, and I would it could be 
softened consistently v/ith truth. But consider the facts 
of the case, and then decide for yourselves in view of 
God's word. He is Avithout God, 

I. In his thoughts. The Bible, in the descriptions which 
il gives of the righteous, takes special notice of the state 
of the mind. It dwells upon the thoughts. Now its 
description of the wicked is, " God is not in all his 
thoughts." " The thoughts of the wicked are an abomi- 
nation to the Lord." "The Lord knoweth the thoughts 
of man, that they are vanity." " How long shall thy vain 
thouohts lodo^e within thee ?" " Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts." The 
thoufrhts of the sinner arc entjrossed with the affairs of 
this world. His mind is w^holly occupied with its cares, 
business, and pleasures. It may be drawn to other objects 
in the sanctuary, and in times of affliction ; but is it not 
partially, and unwillingly drawn ? Is not the world brought 



92 REMAINS OF REV. J, W. DOWNING. 

into the sanctuary ? How often do you seriously reflect 
on your own nature and destiny ? on the claims, the love, 
and the justice of God ? Can you say, " How precious 
are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum 
of them ! If I should count them, they are more in num- 
ber than the sand ?" It is a melancholy fact that these 
subjects are excluded from the mind. Hence God ex- 
claims, " O that they were wise, that they understood 
this, that they would consider their latter end !" " Can a 
maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire ? yet my 
people have forgotten me days without number." " Israel 
doth not know, my people doth not consider." 

II. In his motives. The great motive in the gospel is, 
" the glory of God." No man can claim to be a Chris- 
tian who is not, in a good degree, influenced by it ; all 
other holy motives are only streams from this. Now it is 
the motive which determines, in God's sight, the charac- 
ter of actions. That only is right which finds its ultimate 
motive in the glory of God. "It is God's command," 
says the saint, " hence I obey." Selfishness, benevo- 
lence, friendship, patriotism, operate in the sinner's heart. 
Many of the acts which proceed from them may be great 
public or social virtues, but here they end. They are not 
the works of faith, nor will they commend us to God. 
" Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
though I give my body to be burned, and have not cha- 
rity, it profiteth me nothing." Have you at any time, 
before or after an action, asked, " Will this promote God's 
glory ?" If not, can you then claim him as your spring 
of action ? 

III. In his desires. The language of the Christian is, 
" Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none 
upon earth that I desire besides thee." The correspond- 
ing action is, " Lo, we have left all, and have followed 
thee." The language of the sinner is, " Depart from us ; 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 93 

for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." " We 
will not have this man to reign over us." " Go thy way 
for this time." Nor is the feeling which prompts this 
language changed, till he beholds his danger, and his 
heart is melted. Why need I dwell here ? Does not 
your experience prove my words ? Do you now desire 
God ? Deal plainly with yourself. Are you seeking him ? 
If not, surely then you desire him not. 

IV. In his enjoyments. We derive enjoyment from the 
past, the present, and the future. In a review of the past, 
do you receive pleasure from God's dealings with you, 
from your own emotions, (for you can recall convictions 
and vows,) and from your seasons of prayer ? These are 
sweet to the saint ; hence he speaks of them. But are 
they not arrows to your soul ? And do yowx present enjoy- 
ments flow from reading the Bible, from prayer, from love 
to God ? Have you not, on the contrary, an aversion to 
these duties ? Do you expect any enjoyment from them 1 
Are not your pleasures sensual, social, or intellectual ? Can- 
dour says. Yes. You say you anticipate heaven with joy. 
But is it so ? It is fashionable to talk of going there — poetry 
and fiction dwell upon its loveliness — but the poet's is not 
the saint's heaven. God has also so revealed heaven that 
we cannot despise it ; but we may not view it rightly. 
Do you feel happy in the thought of a heaven whose 
pleasures are holy and spiritual ? Do you love its King, 
its inhabitants, its occupations ? If you expect to love 
them, why not love them now? It is God who makes 
heaven dear to the saint. 

" Not all the harps above 

Can make a heavenly place, 
If God his residence remove, 
Or but conceal his face." 

Let me be anywhere with God ; where he is, is heaven. 
Again, would you not live here always ? Many would. 



94 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING/ 

Could sickness and death be done away, could the arts 
and sciences flourish, would you not covet the privilege ? 
It is a mercy that we are to choose between heaven and 
hell! 

Are you not, then, without God in all these respects ? 
And, in conclusion, let me ask, 

1 . In what do you differ from atheists ? You start, and 
I admit a difference in almost every thing which makes a 
good citizen. But in the view of the Bible, what is the 
difference ? What have you to commend you to God 
which they have not ? You have a belief in him ; but is 
it of any practical value ? Do not " the devils also believe, 
and tremble ?" Be assured, it will not save you from con- 
demnation. " He that believeth not is condemned already, 
because he hath not believed in the name of the only- 
begotten Son of God." You have a fear of him. But 
what is its nature, filial or slavish ? Would not the former 
lead you to obedience ? Is not the latter possessed by the 
lost ? What, then, in the sight of God, and in its bearing 
on your future destiny, is the difference ? I can see none. 
It becomes me to remind you, 

2. That if you remain without God in this world, you 
must remain so for ever. O ! fearful state ! Without Him, 
as he constitutes the felicity of the redeemed, but not as 
he completes the misery of the lost ! 



HI. 

My people doth not consider. — Isaiah i, 3. 

There is peculiar beauty in this affecting language of 
Jehovah. It reveals to us traits of character which ought 
to endear him to our hearts. It is the language of a kind 
father, affectionate almost to tears, beholding the reckless- 
ness of his children, and mourning over its awful conse- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 95 

qiiences. How sad the picture of our race which it pre- 
sents ! We see them straying — the tempest threatening — 
God entreating — but all in vain. We suffer in comparison 
with the brutes. *' The ox knoweth his owner, and the 
ass his master's crib : but Israel doth not know, my people 
doth not consider." I propose to prove the assertion of 
the text by a brief reference to the views and actions of 
men respecting religion. And that you may fully under- 
stand me, I would here observe, that all my remarks will 
be based on the fact that we are intelligent beings, gifted 
with judgment and reason. Hence, sufficient light and 
reflection on any subject will lead to opinions, and these 
to their legitimate effects in action. Let us consider, 

I. The views which men have of religion. 

I wish not to think or speak disparagingly of our age, 
nor overlook its many glories. It is an age of enterprise, 
philanthropy, and Christian exertion. Still it is an age 
of conflict, in which these virtues are called to contend 
with their opposites ; an age of troubled elements, where 
all is commotion. One may safely predict, from present 
movements in the moral world, that we are on the eve 
of great events — that the opposing forces of Christ and 
Belial will not, in the next age, be as equally matched as 
they now are, but that victories are to be gained which 
will give the predominance to one of the parties. You 
see, then, that I believe the views of many at the present 
day to be against religion. Without much effort we find 
avowed atheists and deists, who view Christianity as an 
imposition, and who cavil openly at every thing that is 
holy. And to what is this attributable but inconsidera- 
tion ? Is there want of evidence in proof of the existence 
of the Deity, and of the authenticity of revelation? 
Man's reason proves the existence of God — all nations 
have believed in fate, or some overruling power — nature 
and providence are both inexplicable on any other sup- 



96 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

position. Revelation has been made morally certain by 
evidence. Notwithstanding the thousand volumes which 
infidelity has written, the truth is still unobscured ; like 
the sun, it outshines these stars of night. Paley and 
Butler infidelity has not dared assail. Why have not men 
embraced the truth ? Is it not because they have not con- 
sidered it? Has not this been the d5dng confession of 
infidelity ? What stronger proof of inconsideration than 
skeptical young men furnish can you ask ? 

We bring as proof the views of many nominal Chris- 
tians. I pass over the many who reject vital truths, as it 
must be admitted that fashion and inclination, not prayer- 
ful consideration, lead them on. W^ould they consider, 
they would see that they were robbing religion of its life, 
Christ of his glory, and heaven of its allurements. But 
why the obscurity of the views of many on vital points ? 
How few of my hearers can explain the scheme of salva- 
tion ; can tell how a sinner may be justified ! How few 
know how to begin to seek religion — how to repent and 
believe ! We have to explain these anew to every peni- 
tent. Now the Bible is clear on these points — preaching 
frequent-— but, alas ! your attention is drawn to other ob- 
jects. You do not view this knowledge as essential now, 
and hence labour not to attain it. " My people doth not 
consider." 

n. Their actions in reference to it. 

It will readily be admitted that many live as if there 
were no God, and no hereafter. Some are openly im- 
pious, restrained only by society ; others have no regard 
for God, however moral their lives. Now all this would 
do, if they had proved the Bible to be false, and religion 
a fable ; but do they consider that they have demonstrated 
neither to be false, and that both may prove true in the 
end ? Do they reflect on the interests at stake — interests 
so vast that nothing short of demonstration will justify 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 97 

their conduct ? They care not to think of these things ; 
they will not. 

1. Look especially at the apparent unconcern with 
which nominal Christians continue in sin. The indiffer- 
ence of even true Christians to religion is matter of sur- 
prise to infidels. " How different would be your actions," 
say they, " did you really believe in Christianity." Much 
more surprising, however, are the actions of sinners. 
Some live in commission of outbreaking sins, and seem 
to feel no great anxiety, except on extraordinary occasions 
which bring them to reflection. Others are outwardly 
moral ; but who knows their secret sins ? And even these 
live in open violation of the great law which requires 
them to love and serve God. Both classes are sinners 
in God's sight. Both profess fully to believe his word. 
If their profession be sincere, what then do they believe ? 
Why, that " sin" is " exceeding sinful" — the " abominable 
thing" which God hates— that it is contempt of infinite 
mercy, justice, and power — that it exposes the soul to 
eternal death — that every sin goes to judgment — that for 
every sin they will be punished. And yet they go on in 
sin without anxiety in view of all this, and professing to 
believe all this ! Can they consider when they do so, or 
do they disbelieve ? Here is your dilemma ; v/hich horn 
will you take ? 

2. Look at the ease with which they defer repentance 
and faith. Numerous, you know, are the instances of in- 
dividuals who, day after day, for years, thus procrastinate. 
They engage in business and pleasure, and neglect reli- 
gion. The excuses which they ofter for this neglect are 
all unreasonable ; such as, " I have not time ;" " I am too 
young ;" " People will laugh at me," &c. The motives 
which influence them are love of the world and sin, and 
the gratification of their appetites and passions. All is 
summed up here. Now they profess to believe that the 



98 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

pleasures of sin are unsatisfying and transient — that reli- 
gion is absolutely necessary to present and future happi- 
ness — that life is uncertain — that every call may be the 
last — that the Spirit may be grieved away for ever ! And 
yet we cannot prevail upon them to embrace religion. 
We beg and plead, but they still procrastinate ! Heaven 
waits and pleads, reason expostulates, and conscience 
alarms ; but they leave the sanctuary, and defer attention 
to the salvation of their souls. O, alarming proof of the 
assertion of the text. 

But I am satisfied that you are fully convinced that the 
complaint of God is just. In the proof of this inconsi- 
deration which I have spread before you, you see also its 
awful effects. Say, will you, with the assistance of di- 
vine grace, now prevent them ? Consideration is the first 
step to religion. " I thought on my ways, and turned my 
feet unto thy testimonies." I cannot but fear that some of 
you will remain inconsiderate — leave the house, as you 
have often done, without seeking God — become absorbed 
in the world and pleasure — and put far away the evil day. 
I fear that accidents and sickness will overtake you, and 
that, without time for reflection, you will be hurried away. 
But what more can I do ? What can I say to move you ? 
" O that they were wise, that they understood this, that 
they would consider their latter end !" 



IV. 

Follow me. — Matt, ix, 9. 

How wonderful that the Saviour should have chosen 
publicans and fishermen to be his disciples ! As if in 
contempt of human pride, he passed by the wise, and 
selected the simple. This was not earthly, but heavenly 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 99 

wisdom. The manner in which he called them was also 
wonderful. He offered no explanations, no inducements, 
but ffave them the brief command, " Follow me." The 
Saviour now makes this demand of every man. What is 
implied in it ? 

I. That we should forsake every thing else. 
The disciples were to forsake their homes, friends, 
and occupations, and lead the lives of wanderers. Why ? 
They were to be the witnesses of the life and works of 
Christ, to learn their divinity from his lips, and to be sent 
forth as his apostles. We are to forsake every thing as 
the principal object of pursuit, or means of pleasure, and to 
seek our happiness in serving and loving Christ, " Follow 
me" implies all this. 

1. Worldly business. Unconverted men make this a 
principal object of pursuit, independent of God's claims 
and laws. They do so solely for their own good, and 
that of their families. The gospel requires us to make 
business a minor object. We are to labour to support 
ourselves and those dependant on us, because God com- 
mands it. " Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 
God." We are to consider ourselves not as owners, but 
as stewards. Mark x, 21. 

2. Worldly pleasures. Men make these the objects 
of pursuit and principal means of happiness. We are ta 
abstain entirely from those which aa?& sinfnL ** Comc^^ 
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord." 
We are to indulge in those which are innocent as means 
of happiness in a subordinate degree only. Our highest 
and chief pleasure must be from Christ. Hence we are 
to live as " strangers and pilgrims on the earth." We 
are to mortify our members, crucify our affections. 

3. Our friends. Many live for the happiness of their 
friends, and love them above all other objects. But " he 
that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy 



100 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, 
is not worthy of me." " If any man come to me, and 
hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, 
and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he 
cannot be my disciple." Our supreme affections must 
not be placed on our friends. Our love for them must 
not interfere with our duties ; we must not go with them 
into sin, must not gratify their sinful desires. 

We are to live for Christ alone. Our apparent worldly 
interests must be opposed, our inclinations denied, if they 
contravene the will of God. Hence we must follow the 
Saviour through evil report, through persecution, through 
martyrdom : " Yea, and his own life also /" Our interests 
are in another world. " What is a man profited, if he 
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?" Yes, 
if we are the real followers of Christ we have no interests 
in this world, for they are transferred to another ; we 
have no treasures on earth, for they are laid up in heaven. 
Our all is in an ark which is afloat upon the troubled wa- 
ters of the sea of life ; if it founder, our all is lost for 
ever ; if it ride triumphantly through the storms and over 
the billows, and land at last upon the mount of God, our 
jail is saved eternally. 

II. That we should imitate his example. 

This, in part, is included in the foregoing, but it de- 
serves more consideration. Christ is our perfect exem- 
plar, and as such we must follow him, 

1. In patient suffering. To how much suffering was 
he exposed, and no murmur escaped his lips. You may 
suffer in your person by disease, in your character by 
calumny, in your family by death, in your property by 
fraud; but you are never to complain. He permits suf- 
fering for your highest good. 

2. In cheerful forgiveness. How many occasions had 
the Saviour for the exercise of forgiveness, and how 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 101 

cheerfully did he forgive ! You will have many, and will 
be required to imitate him, if you would follow him. 

3. In active benevolence. Thus Christ came down 
from heaven, suffered, and died. Active benevolence was 
the characteristic of his whole life. You must imitate 
him in relieving men's temporal wants by charity, advice, 
and instruction. " Pure religion, and undefiled before 
God and the Father, is this ; to visit the fatherless and 
widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted 
from the world." Remember the stress which is laid on 
this point in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, and the 
Epistle of James. You must administer to men's spiritual 
wants by praying for them, and exhorting them to embrace 
religion. What a field for action among your friends and 
in the w^orld ! All of you, in a certain sense, are to be 
preachers, if you would follow Christ. 

In conclusion, there is a brighter side to this subject. 
You are to follow the Saviour, 

Through death. Painful as death is to sinners, it is 
sweet to Christians. Christ has taken away its sting. It 
is the gate to Paradise. He hath gone through it. I bleiss 
God, I may follow him. 

Through the grave. Christ hath taken away its victory. 
His resurrection is a pledge of ours. He rose with a 
spiritual body, and we may follow him. Praised be God. 

To heaven. The Saviour calls on us to follow him not 
only in his sufferings, but also in his joys. When on 
earth he said, " The disciple is not above his master, nor 
the servant above his lord." We, my brethren, have 
been accustomed to consider this statement as referring 
only to our sufferings for his sake, and have, perhaps, re- 
luctantly assented to its truth. But we should extend our 
view over a wider field, and contemplate its bearing on 
eternity. O ! if we shall ever reach heaven, and see the 
glory which our Saviour " had with the Father before the 



102 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

world was," our full hearts shall cry out in transport, 
" Yea, Lord, it is enough for the disciple that he be as 
his Master, and the servant as his Lord." Heaven he 
has prepared for us by his death. He will be our leader 
there, and we shall, if we follow him here, follow him 
there through its paths of bliss. No wonder Paul could 
say, " For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." God 
help us to follow Christ. 



V. 
Many are called, but few are chosen. — Matt, xxii, 14. 

Thus ends the parable of the wedding feast. The feast 
of the gospel is now provided for us. How pleasing to 
know that many are called to be guests ! Yet how painful 
the thought that so few are chosen — that so many will 
finally be shut out of heaven ! 

L Let us prove the assertion of the text. 

How many of this congregation have been called during 
the past year ? How many before ? Compute the number. 
Now consider how few have been converted. Is not the 
comparative number small ? How many have been called 
in this city, (Salem,) containing fifteen thousand inhabit- 
ants ? Almost all these have heard the gospel. How 
many Christians are there here ? Count for yourselves. 
Is one-seventh part chosen ? 

The gospel has been preached throughout this wide 
country, and millions have been called ; but the compara- 
tive number of Christians is very small. So it is with 
Christendom at large. Saints are far from being the 
majority. Thus has it always been. Christ called many, 
but chose few. The apostles preached all over the then 
known world ; but read the history of their lives, and you 
\viU find that their followers were comparatively few. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 10^ 

II. Let us show the reason why so few of the called are 
chosen. 

If we take the parable for our guide, the answer is 
obvious. Those invited would not come ; the one cast 
out would not wear the wedding garment which had been 
provided. The fault was theirs alone. Aside from the 
parable let us consider the question, Why are so many 
of the called not chosen ? What more interesting or im- 
portant question can be asked ? We must look for the 
answer in the unwillingness of God, or in the inability or 
unwillingness of man. Nowhere else can the reason be 
found. 

1 . Is God unwilling to choose them 1 If so, why does 
he call them ? To mock them 1 Would this be consistent 
with benevolence ? Speak not of irresistible calls, for the 
Bible never does. On the contrary, " x\s I live, saith the 
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; 
but that the wicked turn from his way and live." " Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." 
" Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." 
" The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that 
heareth say. Come. And let him that is athirst, come : 
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
" The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that 
all should come to repentance." No passages can be 
found opposed to these. 

Again, God has made an atonement for all men. " God 
so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life." " This is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the 
world to save sinners." " As by the offence of one judg- 
ment came upon all men to condemnation ; even so by 
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men 
unto justification of life." God hath provided a remedy 



104 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

ior the whole human race. He hath sent his Spirit to all, 
reproving " the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of 
judgment." That Spirit proves alike effectual to all who 
yield to him. 

2. Is man unable to obtain the qualification requisite to 
his being chosen ? Naturally he is. But Christ " lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world." " And I, if I be 
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." 
" For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- 
peared to all men," &c. Hence your ability through the 
grace of God. On this ground alone are you commanded 
to come to God. " Choose you this day whom ye will 
serve." This command is of universal applicability. 

3. Man then must be unwilling. This is the great 
reason. Such is the doctrine of the Bible. He knows 
that he cannot be chosen without the wedding garment, 
but he will not go to Christ for it. " Ye will not come to 
me, that ye might have life." 

It is not then a necessary consequence that " but few 
are chosen ;" it is a contingent event. Your election is 
left entirely with yourselves. Were it not so, you could 
be neither innocent nor guilty. 

1. How suitable, my brethren, for us to ask. Are we 
chosen ? Many who are in the church here may not be 
admitted to the church above. Our membership here will 
not secure us a place there. If chosen, how obedient 
should we be, that we may not be cut off ! 

2. Impenitent hearers, can you deny that you have 
been called 1 Do you not feel condemned for not hearing ? 
God calls again : " Come, for all things are now ready." 
" If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." 
Will you hear ? How many more times do you expect to 
be called ? What would you give in death for one call 
more ? 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 105 

VI. 

Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. — John v, 40. 

Our text, if carefully analyzed, unfolds four distinct 
ideas : 1. That we are, by nature, in a state of spiritual 
death, exposed to eternal death. 2. That Christ is the 
only dispenser of spiritual and everlasting life. " I am 
the way, the truth, and the life." 3. That he requires of 
those who wish to escape the former, and to embrace the 
latter, to come to him. 4. That the great obstacle in the 
way is in man himself; that is, in his will. The Saviour 
seems to have anticipated the whole host of objections 
which men would offer, drawn from the nature and amount 
of evidence, &c., and by one step to have placed himself 
in advance of them all. He throws all blame from him- 
self, and lays it where it belongs, at the sinner's door. It 
is well to reflect before reflection will be useless — to con- 
sider the reasons which we have for refusing to come to 
Christ. That we may do so, I will adduce a few of the 
many facts which show that the will of the sinner is 
perverse. 

I. It is opposed to reason. 

The excuses which sinners urge are not sufficient to 
justify their determination to neglect or despise religion. 
The sinner says, 

1. "I do not need religion." In all your past lives, 
conscience has proved this assertion false. Your actions, 
in framing a system to carry you to heaven, have denied 
it. Men in all ages have had a religion of some kind ; 
the sentiment of religion is engrafted in our nature, 
and we cannot live without it. But the assertion charges 
God with folly in providing and promulgating, at so great 
a price, that which you do not need. He is not prodigal 
of means, as his works testify. 

5* 



100 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

2. " I have other matters to engage my attention." Now 
you mean, 1. That these are more important than religion, 
or, 2. That they are opposed to it. If yon mean the first, 
it amounts to this ; that time is more vakiable than eter- 
nity — the body than the soul. Look at it and ask, Is this 
reason ? If you mean the second, then those " other mat- 
ters" must be sinful, and, of course, unnecessary, as reli- 
gion provides for all necessary pursuits. To permit things 
unnecessary to prevent our attending to those which are 
necessary — is this reason ? 

" O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, 
And men have lost their reason !" 

3. " I do not believe the Bible." Is this reasonable ? 
Must you not reject all history on the same ground? 
Yes, but you do not. Take the creation and the deluge 
as proof of its inspiration, and is not unbelief greater 
credulity than belief? All unbelievers, total and partial, 
admit that religion can do them no harm ; it is of infinite 
importance if the Bible be true, for, without it, they must 
be for ever miserable. If therefore there were a thousand 
chances that they would not suffer without it, and one 
only that they would suffer, in view of the greatness of 
that suffering, reason would prompt them to embrace 
religion, and thus be on the safe side. But what unbe- 
liever regards it ? 

II. It is opposed to his highest interest. 

It is our highest interest, as individuals and as social 
beings, to possess religion, for it makes us happy and 
useful in all circumstances. Every approximation to its 
principles is an approximation to our real interest. The 
temperance reform proves this conclusively. So of other 
moral enterprises. Religion tends to abolish wars, &c., 
for it is " good will toward men." The more it is dif- 
fused, the more harmony and love prevail. 

This, however, is a partial view of the case. Man is 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 107 

immortal, and bound by reason to act in reference to his 
whole existence — especially to that part which lies be- 
yond the grave. Now the sinner's will is most empha- 
tically opposed to his highest interest considered in this 
enlarged view ; for it drives him from heaven, and con- 
fines him in hell. The strongest motive, if there be 
sense in words, is drawn from the highest interest, which 
is our future, eternal happiness. You see, then, that the 
will of the sinner, made to yield to motive, is influenced, 
not by the strongest, but by the weakest motives. What 
would you think of scales that should turn so ? There has 
been foul play with them, you would say. What think 
you of our will, which turns not by the interests of heaven 
and hell, but by the veriest trifles of time ? May it not at 
last weigh out to us eternal death ? 

III. Christ has come to us. 

Among foes, if one meet another half way, reason 
would prompt to meet him ; but if he should come the 
whole way, it would be base to refuse to see him ! Christ 
came the whole way — removing obstacles — making a 
smooth path even to our feet — and we refuse to treat with 
him ! 

1. It would have been a manifestation of great love to 
come in any way, since he is the Sovereign, we the 
rebels. But he came in person, not by an ambassador. 
He came, making a sacrifice of heaven with all its glories. 
He came to heap upon us his favors — to take us to him- 
self. Are not these reasons which should influence us to 
come to him ? 

2. He comes in his word, abounding in instruction, 
persuasion, and love. He comes in every minister, his 
ambassador. It was much to come once, but how often 
does he come ! Yet the sequel is, " Ye will not come 
to me r 

3. He comes by his Spirit. The Spirit impresses his 



108 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

word and providences. His Spirit comes, too, under the 
greatest discouragements, unasked, repulsed, and grieved. 
Yet, after all, the assertion of the text is true. From this 
subject we see, 

1. How universal and fearful are the ravages of sin. 
It has depraved us all. Many do finally refuse and go 
away. All refuse for a time. A moment's delay were 
too long. How fearful the moral aspect of man ! What 
spectacles of horror are exhibited to the universe ! If the 
inhabitants of the bright worlds above can learn nothing 
else from human apostacy and divine redemption, they 
may assuredly learn this — the exceeding sinfulness of 
sin. The human heart, with its blackening shades of 
perversity, may be the sad picture which is hung out to 
the view of unsinning worlds, to preserve their allegiance 
to the Deity. 

2. We learn what we must do. We must change our 
will. God has left it free, and proffers his aid. Do you 
say you cannot change your will ? Your life gives you 
the lie. Why do you live so unconcerned if this be your 
condition ? For a change of your will is necessary to 
salvation ; and, as God has left the will free, unless you 
change it, your awful destiny is sealed ! Belshazzar 
trembled when he saw that his doom was fixed ; why do 
you not tremble in view of your destiny ? Dare you 
avow to God, on the bended knee, that you cannot, with 
divine aid, change your will ? If not, away then with 
the pretext for ever. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 109 

VII. 

They hated me without a cause. — John xv, 25. 

" They that hate me without a cause are more than 
the hairs of my head," (Psahii Ixix, 4.) was the prophetic 
language of Christ by the mouth of David, and its repeti- 
tion in the text is its direct application to the Jews. And 
when you consider his innocent, unassuming, upright life 
— his forced trial before Pilate — and their cruel persecu- 
tion of him even to death, you will admit that the pro- 
phecy has been painfully fulfilled. Like many other 
prophecies, it overreaches the first event which it fore- 
told, and meets its further fulfilment in later times. Every 
nation in Christendom has reared its monument to the 
truth of the text. We all have been, and many of us now 
are, living proofs of the fulfilment of this prophecy, and 
to us its application is direct. We shall not labour to 
prove that sinners hate Christ. It is a revealed truth. 
John vii, 7 ; xv, 18. Nor shall we show the various ways 
in which this hatred is exhibited ; but rather strive to 
convince you that it is " without a cause." 

I. Is there any thing in Christ^ s character deserving your 
hatred ? 

That character is clearly shown us in his written word, 
and should be carefully studied. We may view it in 
different lights. 

As a private man he v/as humble and unostentatious. 
He was obedient to the national and ceremonial law. 
Witness his payment of tribute, and his baptism. He 
was kind to his parents. Luke ii, 51 ; John xix, 26. 

As a philanthropist his character is glorious. He be- 
held the sufferings of a world, considered their cause, 
and undertook their relief. He showed men the true 
cause of all evil in the world, sin ; and prescribed rules 



110 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

for every relation in life, obedience to which would 
remedy all evil. He " went about doing good.^^ He did 
good even to his enemies ; did it unrewarded, unthanked, 
and at the expense of every comfort. 

As a Saviour he loved the world when it was his 
enemy, died for us when we were unworthy to be saved. 
This he did disinterestedly, as it could not increase his 
happiness or glory— at the expense of happiness and 
glory—through extreme and unearthly suffering. Now 
consider yourself not an object of this love, but a beholder 
of its v/onderful exhibition, and what is there in it to 
cause your hatred ? Could you hate one of your fellow- 
men should he exhibit such a love ? 

As God, you find him the source of wisdom, benevo- 
lence, justice, holiness, power. Omniscience, omnipre- 
sence, and omnipotence are terms which convey but a 
faint idea of his glorious character. Reflect upon his 
attributes, and what in them can move your hatred ? The 
best of men have loved him as " altogether lovely ;" the 
highest intelligences above are wholly wrapped up in his 
love. On what attribute do you specially ^x your ha- 
tred ? Is it not his holiness 1 Why should this cause 
your hatred? This is the chief, the regulator of them 
all. Were God unholy, what misrule, what partiality, 
what misery, would prevail through his dominions ! As 
rational, as moral beings, you ought to love him chiefly 
for his holiness, the source of all his excellences. 

II. Is there any thing in his actions toward you personally 
which merits your hatred ? 

You have viewed Christ abstractly, now look at him in 
connection with yourself. He hath given you every tem- 
poral blessnig which you enjoy, and hath distinguished 
you above others. He hath died for you, from pure love 
for your good ! O ! can you hate him for this ? He gives 
you the means of grace, promises of mercy, strivings of 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. HI 

the Spirit, only to make you happy. He intercedes for 
you before the throne. At what in all this can you com- 
plain ? Say you he afflicts ? You deserve hell ; why 
then complain of afflictions ? He sends them to save you 
from endless wo. Still you hate him ! O, causeless 
hatred ! 

HI. Are his purposes concerning you deserving your 
hatred 1 

His design in your creation was not to trifle with you, 
but to make you happy. That design we defeated, and 
here he might have left us. But he interposed by re- 
demption to bring about the purposes of creation. Heaven 
he " prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 
When you shut its gates, he opened them by his blood, 
and made them easy of access. He designs to raise you 
to heaven ; hence his word and works. There he will 
give you triumph over all the evils of this present state. 
You may thwart his design, and abide the doom. You 
are in sin, and, unrepenting, you must die in sin, and be 
for ever miserable. The natural consequence of sin is 
misery, and he will not relieve you. He must punish 
sin, because it is essentially and eternally wrong. He 
will banish you from himself, and send you to hell. He 
must do this; 1. To be impartial in government. All 
holy beings demand it, and he is pledged to do it. 2. To 
prevent you from marring the happiness of heaven. You 
would destroy it all. There is then nothing in his pur- 
poses concerning you to merit your hatred. We infer 
from this subject, 

1. The depravity of the human heart. It can find no 
fault with Christ, and yet it hates him. We hate the 
benefactor who has died for our happiness. We hate 
Him whom angels love, and all heaven adores. 

2. How great will he the punishment which God will 
finally inflict ! You will be weighed in the scales of 



112 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

justice. Consider the circumstances, and what must be 
your doom ? I charge you with hating Christ without a 
cause. " They hated me without a cause /" O how dis- 
mally will these words fall upon your ears at the last day i 
They will toll the dirge of your eternal death ! 



VIIL 



What could have been done more to my vineyard, that i have 

NOT DONE IN IT ? — Isaiah V, 4. 

These words were addressed to the Jews, whom God 
had chosen as his people, and favoured with special tem- 
poral and spiritual blessings. He had separated them 
from other nations, had been their Ruler, and had given 
them his law and prophets. They were a vineyard culti- 
vated by him, but they often brought forth wild grapes — 
the fruit of sin. Before visiting them with judgments, he 
made to them this appeal : *' O inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my 
vineyard. What could have been done more to my vine- 
yard, that I have not done in it ? wherefore, when I looked 
that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild 
grapes ?" We as a people have been highly favoured 
with the means of grace, but some of us still bring forth 
the fruits of sin. To you, sinners, God speaks in the text, 
and calls upon you to answer the question. If we inves- 
tigate the subject, we shall find that we must say with 
David, " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done 
this evil in thy sight ; that thou mightest be justified when 
thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." Let us 
then consider what God hath done for our salvation. 

I. He has made an atonement for our sins. 

By consequence of the fall we are born with sinful 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 113 

natures, we are spiritually dead, and are exposed to eter- 
nal death. Yet no fault can be found with God, for Adam 
acted knowingly and voluntarily. But God in wisdom 
and love opened a way of salvation. O, matchless love ! 
What more in an atonement could you ask than is found 
in this ? The remedy is as great as the evil. 

1. It was made for all. "We see Jesus, who was 
made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of 
death, crowned with glory and honour ; that he by the 
grace of God should taste death for every man." " And 
he is the propitiation for our sins : and not for ours only, 
but also for the sins of the whole world." " For God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have 
everlasting life." " As by the offence of one judgment 
came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the right- 
eousness of one the free gift came upon all men imto 
justification of life." You see it has no limits. 

2. Its effects are as extensive as the fall on all who 
accept its provisions. Temporal death is remedied by the 
resurrection. " As in Adam all die, even so in Christ 
shall all be made alive." We are raised to spiritual life — 
to love God — enjoy his favour, &:c. We are crowned 
with eternal life. "The gift of God is eternal life, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord." 

3. It was made at an infinite price — even the blood of 
the Son of God. None other could have made it. What 
greater atonement could God make ? 

II. He has given us a revelation, 

1. He has taught us our lost condition. No one can 
look around him without seeing the proof that we are sin- 
ners. Why does nature, animate and inanimate, appear 
our foe ? Why is man the foe of hfs fellow ? Why the 
war within ourselves? In the Bible he has given us 
the knowledge, full and clear, of our spiritual death, 



114 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

and liability to eternal death. None can doubt who 
read. 

2. He has taught us our condition under the gospel — 
our probationship — the possibility of salvation — the ful- 
ness and freeness of salvation — its conditions — his will 
respecting us. None can here plead ignorance. What 
more could be asked in knowledge than that it should be 
exactly suited to us ? This is ; it is as much as we need, 
is of the right kind, positive and plain. 

III. He has convicted res of our sin. 

All our moral powers were impaired by the fall. How 
much of a perfect conscience remains we know not ; but 
we know that enough remains to condemn even a heathen. 
Conscience has convicted you many times of sin, and 
made you pale with fear. Run over your past lives and 
count those times. Those scenes in the dead of night, 
how awful ! But God hath not left this work to conscience ; 
he hath sent his Spirit to " reprove the world of sin, and 
of righteousness, and of judgment." You have not been 
passed by ; you have heard his reproofs in the house of 
God — have felt his strivings when reading the Bible — his 
alarms in the grave-yard, and on the bed of sickness. He 
has come uncalled. That he has not led you to Christ, is 
no proof that he is not sufficient. He would have done 
this, had you not resisted. *• Ye do always resist the 
Holy Ghost." What more could be required of convic- 
tion than that it should make you realize your guilt and 
danger ? This it has done, and it has eflected all that it 
could consistently with your free agency. Tremble, sin- 
ner, if its realizations are growing less clear ! 

IV. He has placed before us the strongest motives. 
Place before a wretch happiness, and is it not the great 

motive to action ? We are miserable, and happiness is 
placed before us here ; the comforts of life, the approval 
of conscience, the smiles of God. Look at the motives in 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 1]5 

reference to eternity. On the one hand there is a crown 
— a throne — a heaven — unmingled, uninterrupted, eternal 
happiness. On the other, there are the gnawings of the 
worm that dieth not — the gnashings of teeth — the burn- 
ings of an eternal hell. They almost shatter the mightiest 
intellect that attempts to grasp them. God has none 
greater to place before the highest seraph. 

V. He has given us sufficient strength to embrace salva- 
tion. 

We are, by nature, perfectly helpless. By the atone- 
ment strength is given us to subdue our wills, and to ena- 
ble us to repent, believe, and obey. " The grace of God 
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching 
us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should 
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." 
Hence God's offers, commands, threatenings, entreaties, 
(fee, are all based upon our ability through grace. Thou- 
sands have proved our position by their own experience. 
You cannot in reason wish for greater power ; it would 
destroy your free agency. 

Well may Jehovah ask, " What could have been done 
more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ?" And yet 
some of you are not saved. Why ? You must find the 
answer in yourselves. But the resources of Deity seem 
to be exhausted, and he will do no more. Let me then 
ask you, 

1 . Shall what he has done and is still doing for you 
prove effectual ? You alone can say, and you must say 
in your life. You act under fearful responsibilities. The 
Spirit still flows like a mighty flood, but it may be at its 
height, or on its ebb ! Say now, sinner ! Or, 

2. Will you risk the consequences ? The appeal of 
Jehovah to the Jews was not idle talk ; it was the pre- 
cursor of judgments. So may this be with you the loud- 
est call — the last 1 If not saved, you will be lost ! " What 



116 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

more could have been done to my vineyard, that I have 
not done in it ?" O ! in the day of thy final condemna- 
tion, will not these words come up with power, and will 
thou not feel their force ? Say, will you avert that con- 
demnation ? Do it instantly ! 



IX. 

If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost : in 

WHOM the god of THIS WORLD HATH BLINDED THE MINDS OF THEM 

which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel op 
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. — 
2 Cor. iv, 3, 4. 

The gospel is beautifully represented in the text as a 
sun which has risen to cheer the earth with its beams. 
It is indeed the light of the moral world, by which we 
may be guided safely through its perplexing scenes to a 
better land. It arose in a night of darkness. Judea, 
once half illumined by revelation, was in its twilight. 
Total darkness had settled down on all other lands. Yet 
then the Sun of righteousness arose, preceded by one star 
alone, (John,) which threw its light over the wilderness 
of Judea, but which was soon removed from earthly gaze. 
And that sun now shines, not in the calmness of its 
morning rising, but in the full-orbed splendour of its me- 
ridian glory. It will '* stand still upon Gibeon" till the 
contest of sin shall end, and then it will " melt away into 
the light of heaven." 

I. There are those to whom it is hidden, 

I. In its evidences. These were spread before the 
Jews in a wonderful manner in the fulfilment of prophecy, 
and in the display of miracles. Even if there had been 
no other evidence given them than the words of Christ, 
they might have believed. They did not believe — they 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 117 

do not now. These were spread before the Gentiles in 
the miracles and teachings of the apostles, and in the 
lives and deaths of martyrs and confessors ; but many 
believed not. Wise and good men have collected this 
vast amomit of evidence, and have laid it before every 
age, but every age has teemed with infidels. In the 
ranks of skepticism are found all classes. 

2. In its beauty. Its moral precepts are admitted to 
be just and pure, but many see not their beauty, which 
lies in their extent, utility, and benevolence. Hence they 
are called severe and arbitrary. 

Its doctrines have ever been ridiculed by multitudes. 
The doctrines of depravity, atonement, regeneration, holi- 
ness, future judgment, &c., have been " foolishness" to 
infidelity, and have been classed with the absurd fables 
of heathen mythology. There is, however, beauty in 
them. The atonement is a wonderful display of wisdom, 
justice, and love. So holiness commends itself to all 
who rightly reflect upon it, as an indispensable requisite 
to individual and social happiness. And the judgment 
can but be considered as a desirable end of earthly things. 

Its promises of pardon, assistance, and heaven, when 
considered in their nature, extent, and richness, render 
the gospel glorious to the penitent and the saint, while to 
the unbelieving they have no charms. 

3. In its power unto salvation. To the majority of 
men it has none, though freely offered. It does not save 
them from sin and its consequences, but, by their rejection 
of it, enhances both. Strange infatuation of our race, 
that it is hidden to so many ! Awful verification of the 
saying of Christ, " Many are called, but few are chosen !" 

II. The cause. 

The text says it is Satan, called " the god of this world," 
because men generally serve him. In another place he 
is called " the spirit that now worketh in the children of 



118 REMAIXS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

disobedience." It is said again, " the whole world lieth 
in wickedness," or in " the wicked one." His power is 
exerted against the efforts of saints and the dictates of 
conscience. He " hath blinded the minds of them which 
believe not." He does this in various ways, two of which 
only wdll be named. 

1. By prejudice. We are naturally opposed to divine 
truth, because it thwarts our wishes, runs counter to our 
hopes, and strengthens our fears. " Men loved darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Such 
are the " lost" to whom the gospel is *^ hid"^ — not the 
finally lost, but " the lost sheep," whether of the house of 
Israel or of other folds. Thus were the ancient Jews 
and Gentiles blinded ; the former because Christ did not 
answer their hopes ; the latter because of the humility 
of his extraction, character, and religion. So many now 
will not study the gospel. They despise it. It is inde- 
pendent and manly to cavil ! 

2. By the riches, honours, and pleasures of earth. 
Many make wealth their chief pursuit, as if this were the 
object of life. We cannot induce them to stop for a mo- 
ment to engage in a nobler pursuit. They are in a race, 
and look only at the end, and are blinded by it. We ask 
no stronger proof that ** we are of the earth." 

The honours of the world are captivating to all who 
have not learned of Christ to despise them. We seek 
them in different ways, and they appear as the supreme 
good. Like all distant objects, they seem larger than 
they are. Honour, to thousands, is the sun which out- 
shines every thing else, and lures them on to ruin. Sa- 
tan tried it with Christ. But, O the depravity of man, 
the glory and honour of heaven have no charms for mor- 
tals ! 

Pleasure is the great pursuit of men, and that too in 
forbidden objects. It is an idol, and every thing is sacri- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. HQ 

ficed at its unhallowed shrine. Blinded by it, we will 
not look at its emptiness, sting, and fleeting nature. How 
often have we refused to let " the glorious gospel" shine 
upon us, lest it should destroy our pleasures, interrupt our 
gayety, and check our mirth ! And for pleasure we sell 
our souls ! For this we purchase " outer darkness /" 

It is no cause of wonder that the gospel is hid to the 
worldly. They desire not to see it, they use not the 
means. Unless you change your course, to you it will 
always be hidden. The time will come when God will 
reward you according to your ways ! 



X. 

The common people heard him gladly. — Mark xii, 37. 

" Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, 
not many noble are called : but God hath chosen the 
foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and 
God hath chosen the weak things of the world to con- 
found the things which are mighty." Such was the ex- 
pression of the apostle, and such has been the experience 
of the church in all ages. The common people are those, 
principally, who have believed. Why ? Not because 
religion was not designed for all. Not because they are 
more easily deluded ; the wise are as often deluded, and 
religion requires common sense, which is equally distri- 
buted among the high and low. Why then the fact? 
There are many reasons. Let us adduce the principal. 

I. The difference between the two classes in regard to 
wealth. 

The few only are rich, and their wealth has prevented 
their piety ; for wealth is an idol which men are more 
prone to worship than other objects. It tends also to 



120 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

make its possessors feel proud and independent ; the lux- 
uries which it procures remove them from many of the 
wants and miseries of common life, and hence they feel 
themselves to be above their fellows. Specially is this 
the case when wealth procures office, influence, and flat- 
tery, as it now does. If you doubt this, look into society 
for yourselves, or elevate a poor man suddenly to the pin- 
nacle of wealth. Again, it leads men to love the world 
more ; having all things around them pleasant, their affec- 
tions become fastened to earth, and they think less of 
death and eternity. Wealth makes men poor in eternity, 
as it keeps them from God here. "A rich man shall 
hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." The common 
people have not wealth as an idol, whatever else they 
may have. They realize their dependance every day 
upon their fellow-men, and are in the same circumstances 
with the great body of them ; hence they are not so prone 
to pride and independence of feeling. They are rarely 
courted and flattered. Every thing is not in abundance 
around them, and the world is not so bright to them ; they 
are obliged to live more like " strangers and pilgrims on 
the earth;" hence they go to God for happiness. Con- 
sider, moreover, that the gospel places all men on a level 
as spiritual beings, and requires the rich to feel as humble 
and dependant as the poor. It is therefore more repulsive 
to the former than to the latter. No wonder then at the 
fact. 

II. The difference in regard to their amusements. 

The common people cannot enter into the festivities 
of the rich, because of the expense ; and further, there is 
a wall between them which must not be scaled. The 
balls and pleasure parties of the rich lead them to an in- 
ordinate attention to appearances. The person must be 
dressed in the newest fashion in order to be noticed and 
regarded ; hence the time spent at the toilette. The con- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 121 

versation must be just so refined in order to be esteemed. 
Now the effect of these things is to make men proud and 
vain, to cover up the heart, and remove it from simplicity. 
The spirit is neglected in the care which is bestowed on 
the body and mind. The common people do not expect 
so much ostentation and refinement among themselves ; 
hence there is not the same danger from the tempers 
which they tend to produce. Consider, too, that the 
amusements of the poor must be, on account of the cost, 
less frequent. 

The reading of the rich and gay, especially of females, 
must be light, as novels, romances, &c., to prepare them, 
it is said, for company. Such reading produces mental 
dissipation, and unfits the mind for the study of the Bible 
and for sober reflection. The poor have neither the time 
nor the money to expend on these works. If we consider, 
too, that the gospel forbids the amusements to which we 
have alluded, this ostentation and vanity, and requires us 
to have an eye single to the glory of God, to come out 
from the world, and deny ourselves, we shall see more 
clearly still the reason of the fact. 

III. The common people are not so prone to skepticism as 
the wise and great. 

The wisdom of this world leads men to despise that of 
God. Men of learning leave too often the plain path of 
the gospel to theorize and speculate. Examples are 
abundant. The common people have not the time for 
this ; they are governed more by plain common sense. 
Again, the rich and fashionable connect fashion with reli- 
gion ; they thus take away from the latter all its zeal and 
spirituality, till they make for themselves a system which 
requires little or no humility. The speculations of the 
wise unfit them for the exercise of simple faith in Christ, 
and the pride of the rich makes it hard to throw away 
self, and be saved by the righteousness of Christ. The 

G 



122 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

common people are not so much exposed to these dan- 
gers, and hence the fact. 

How lamentable that the rich are thus against God ; 
how forcible the proof that man has fallen ! When viewed 
in the light of time, how discouraging to the minister ! 
But in the light of eternity all are of equal value ; the 
soul of the beggar as valuable as that of the prince. Let 
me be instrumental in saving a beggar's soul, and I will 
never complain. 



XL 

If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let 

HIM BECOME A FOOL, THAT HE MAY BE WISE. 1 Cor. iii, 18. 

Never has there been an age since the existence of 
the Christian church when this language was not appro- 
priate. Men have not stood upon the same level with 
regard to learning, but some have been distinguished 
above others. Esteemed as wise, they have been ele- 
vated to high stations in society, and, from their power 
over men, have moulded the fate of empires. Generally, 
however, they have withheld their influence from Chris- 
tianity. "• Not many wise men after the flesh, not many 
mighty, not many noble are called." Why is this ? And 
why the necessity of becoming fools in the view of earthly 
wisdom, if we would be wise in the sight of God ? Be- 
cause the wisdom of God in the redemption by Christ is 
foolishness with man, and the wisdom of man, in the 
rejection of the atonement, is foolishness with God. It 
is not strange that the wisdom of man should be unlike 
that of God in its extent and perfection, since the moral 
distance between God and man is so great; but it is 
strange that it should be opposed to his, inasmuch as we 
are his creatures ; nor can it be accounted for, except on 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 123 

the ground of our depravity ; this satisfactorily explains it. 
Do we wish for proof that the doctrine of the atonement 
is folly in human estimation, and that hence the sentiment 
of the text is true ? This proof is scattered in profusion 
around us. Let us collect a little. 

1. From the Jews. To them it was " a stumbling-block." 
They had been taught to believe in the advent of the 
Messiah ; the time had been fixed, his appearance de- 
scribed ; — he came as predicted, but they rejected him. 
Why ? Because he did not answer their ill-grounded ex- 
pectations. In such a one it were folly to trust ! So act 
the scattered tribes even now. 

2. From the Gentiles. The most learned of them would 
not receive the gospel, and left it to win its way among 
the poor and illiterate. Why ? That God had given his 
Son to be the Redeemer of the world — that that Son had 
appeared from among the Jews — under circumstances so 
humiliating — and had died that they might live — was to 
them matter of ridicule. They could not fathom the 
wisdom of God, and therefore derided it. But do you 
say this proof is collected from past ages ? Let us then 
come down to the present time. 

3. Christianity numbers among its devoted friends many 
wise men at the present day, hut not because it has softened 
its requisition. They became " fools for Christ's sake," 
as did Paul. Still the majority of the wise, in their pride, 
reject the religion of the gospel. Some, in their wisdom, 
endeavour to show us that there is no need of an atone- 
ment. Hence they magnify the goodness of man, and 
spelik of his native purity. They seem to close their 
eyes to the holiness of God, to the blackness of the human 
heart, and to the fact that men in all ages have, by offering 
sacrifices of blood, shown their conviction that they were 
sinners. Others say it is unreasonable to suppose that an 
innocent being could make satisfaction for sin, and flail 



124 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

upon US to say whether Christ suffered as much as the 
whole human race could suffer, and if so, how it is that 
there are still conditions of life ? When they ask for the 
sake of truth, we will reply. Others contend that it would 
be unjust in God to give his Son to die for man, and that 
the Son had no right to give himself as a sacrifice ; but 
equally would such reasoning apply to the sacrifices of 
human benevolence. And others still assert that the 
doctrine of the atonement disgraces God, and represents 
him as tyrannical and bloodthirsty. Indeed, human wis- 
dom seems to have exhausted all its resources in efforts 
to make the doctrine of the atonement appear ridiculous. 
Hence the believers in this doctrine, from St. Paul down 
to the meanest slave, are, in the sight of earth's wise men, 
enthusiasts and fools. But in the sight of God they are 
the only really wise. 

The text lays before you the work which you are to do 
in order to become wise. From what has been said, you 
see that it is a humiliating work. You must bow at the 
cross, and learn of Jesus. You must part with your pride, 
and must bear the scorn and ridicule of the world. Can 
you hesitate for one moment to do it ? Can it be that any 
of you are so foolish as to prize the praise of men more 
than that of God ? Remember, your hesitancy to comply 
proves it ! But you are not to live here always ; the day 
is fast approaching when the approbation of your Judge 
'will be to you of more value than that of all the world I 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 125 

XII. 

These that have turned the world upside down, are comb 

HITHER ALSO. ActS XVii, 6. 

The gospel has generally been unpopular. It has been 
branded as enthusiasm, and its ministers as fanatics, 
slanderers, innovators, and revolutionists. See, for in- 
stance, how Christ and his early followers were regarded. 
So with reformers in every age. And now let a man 
plainly and zealously preach, and let success attend his 
labours, and he is a fanatic ! Wicked men plot his ruin, 
and even the respectable ridicule his doctrines, and make 
insinuations against his character or motives in order to 
destroy his influence. O yes, we may be excited to mad- 
ness about the affairs of time, but if we are zealous for 
eternity we are fools ! The reason is plain ; men are in 
league with Satan, and they fear the effects of faithful 
preaching on his kingdom. Let us consider, 

I. The kind of excitement which we wish to produce. 

We avow excitement to be our object, and here we 
claim to follow the example of Christ, (Matt, x, 34,) and 
to obey the dictation of the Spirit, (John xvi, 8.) Will 
God bless any preaching not of this kind 1 By nature we 
are, to a great degree, insensible to our relations to God 
as our Creator, Sovereign, Redeemer ; to the duties grow- 
ing out of these relations, as gratitude, love, faith ; and to 
the consequences of obedience or disobedience. Our in- 
clinations and pursuits increase this insensibility. Hence 
hope and fear are dormant. Hence many nominal Chris- 
tians are practical atheists. Religion is last thought of, 
least cared about. Thus are we borne thoughtlessly over 
the rapids of Time to the ocean of Eternity. 

We wish to awaken men to a sense of these relations 
and duties, and then they will see that they are lost sin- 



126 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

ners in need of a Saviour — ^to a sense of the consequences 
of sin and holiness, and then they will see that religion 
is to them of infinite moment. Having thus enlightened 
their understanding, we would appeal to their reason, 
conscience, and passions, to induce them to become holy. 
We wish them, in fine, to hate sin, to love God with all 
their hearts, and to be wholly interested and unceasingly 
employed in doing his will. It is a holy excitement then 
which we would produce, such as exists in heaven. Can 
you doubt that such an excitement exists there 1 Can you 
doubt the happiness of heaven ? Would not a similar state 
of society produce happiness here ? I wish I could raise 
such an excitement. True, the thunder-storm might cause 
alarm ; but it would purify the atmosphere. 

II. The means which we may use. 

The faithful exhibition of the gospel, accompanied by 
zeal, love, and prayer. These are purely moral means ; 
can you object to them? Men must be taught, with- 
out reserve, their lost condition — the way of salva- 
tion, its freeness, fulness, and conditions — the shortness 
of their probation — the certainty of judgment — the reali- 
ties of eternity. The motives which we are to urge are 
the love of Christ — the blessed efifects of religion on indi- 
viduals, and on society — and the unspeakable joys of 
heaven. These we cannot exaggerate. But what if 
these fail ? Shall we fold our arms ? Would this be 
innocent ? Not so long as there is a Bible. We must 
declare the consequences of sin — the terrors of death, 
judgment, and hell. Away with false delicacy in declar- 
ing these consequences. We cannot paint them in colours 
too awful. Strange that you should be unwilling to hear 
of them, but willing to risk them ! But, you say, this 
course will frighten the timid, and harden the bold. We 
are not responsible for such a result, but are responsible 
for the character of our preaching. It is a mistaken idea 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 127 

that religion makes men insane. It is sin that does this. 
Thoughts of judgment are glorious to the saint, but awful 
to the sinner. Why awful ? Because the sinner feels 
convicted and guilty. Sin then causes all this misery ; 
it is the monster which we would destroy. This must be 
done with zeal ; no matter how earnest and frequent our 
appeals and our meetings ; he will not neglect his family 
who is imbued with religion. Sinners must see that we 
are in earnest, or they will not be. Love to God and man 
must show itself in all our efforts. Prayer unceasing 
must be made ybr the aid of the Spirit. We depend on 
this aid ; we would have no revival which the Spirit does not 
cause and pervade. These means God prescribes and 
blesses. 

III. The design which we have in view. 

It is not to make ourselves famous in the church or in 
the world, not to create a party, but to save souls, and 
glorify God. We would excite Christians that they may 
be active, and sinners that they may escape hell. Were 
your houses on fire over your heads by night, you would 
not think us enthusiasts, were we never so earnest to 
alarm you ; why think so now 1 Were the revolutionary 
fathers fanatics ? What zeal did they manifest ? What 
zeal should we show in our nobler cause ! 

Christians, God has brought us here to turn the world 
upside down. It needs it. Its principles, actions, and 
spirit, are all wrong. The gospel which has been placed 
in our hands is the great lever which will overturn the 
world. It has been applied for ages ; apostles and saints 
of later times have laid hold on it, and our world has 
trembled ; its idol altars and pagan temples have tottered 
and fallen. Lay hold with a firm grasp, nor relax nor 
tire, till " the kingdoms of this world become the king- 
doms of our Lord and of his Christ." 



128 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



XIII. 

I COULD WISH THAT MYSELF WERE ACCURSED FROM ChRIST, FOR MY 
BRETHREN, MY KINSMEN, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. Rom. ix, 3. 

The apostle had just appealed, in the most solemn 
manner, to his own " conscience, bearing him witness in 
the Holy Ghost," and to the great Searcher of hearts, 
that " he spake the truth in Christ," when he assured 
them that " he had great heaviness, and continual sorrow 
in his heart." And well might he be both solemn and 
sorrowful, for he foresaw, and was about to state, the 
awful fact, that the Jews would reject the gospel. He 
knew the fatal consequences of that rejection. He saw 
the gathering storm of Jehovah's wrath, (so clearly pre- 
dicted by Christ,) which, in its fury, would sweep away 
their temple, city, and nation, and scatter them in exile 
among Gentile realms — he foresaw their temporal and 
eternal destruction. Himself a Jew, his aiFectionate heart 
prompted him to wish " that himself were accursed from 
Christ," &c. Do not, however, misunderstand him, nor 
deduce from his words that revolting doctrine, that he was 
willing to suffer the loss of his own soul for the sake of 
the salvation of his brethren. He would be unhappy, not 
unholy, for their good, and suffer at Christ's hands any 
temporal evil to rescue them from their impending doom. 
So deeply should we feel, and so cheerfully should we he 
willing to suffer temporal evils for the salvation of sinners. 
This doctrine, however, may appear visionary to the cold- 
hearted professor, and infidelity may rise up to question 
its consistency with reason. Let us, then, briefly vindi- 
cate it against all such charges. 

I. All human actions which have been truly glorious in 
themselves and in their effects, have proceeded from this prin* 
ciple of self sacrifice. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING, 129 

The careful observer of history will readily admit it. 
He sees that this spirit has reigned in the breasts of all 
whose memory he reveres, and whose deeds have been 
beneficial to man. All improvements that have been made 
in man's condition have had their rise here. 

It is the essence of patriotism ; to sacrifice all, and part 
with one's life for his country, is patriotism ; nothing 
short of this deserves the name. Leonidas, Regulus, 
Hancock, Washington — how glorious their deeds — how 
blessed their memory ! And what spirit prompted them ? 

It is the fountain of philanthropy ; to suffer privations 
and hardships for others, is philanthropy. While memory 
lives, it will linger around the names of Howard, Clark- 
son, and Wilberforce. 

It is the spirit of the missionary cause. Is it not clearly 
seen in the life of him who leaves all to civilize and 
Christianize heathen lands ? And is there not a moral 
grandeur investing this cause, which commands the atten- 
tion of the world ? O, how glorious the object it pro- 
poses ! how numerous the self-denials it requires ! Even 
angels admire and wonder ! 

II. It is involved in the golden rule. 

" All things whatsoever ye would that men should do 
to you, do ye even so to them." Say not that obedience 
to this rule requires it not. Christian, you ask it of your 
brother in your pilgrimage. You know you owe it to your 
impenitent friend ; for were you in his place with your 
feelings, you would ask it of him. " All things whatso- 
ever," &c. And if the soul be more valuable than the 
body, and eternity than time, you are not loving him bet- 
ter than yourself by submitting to temporal evils for his 
salvation. And what rule can be wiser and more benevo- 
lent ? What would make earth happier ? O, it would do 
away selfishness, and make this wide world a family of 
brothers, a second Eden ! As human beings now are, 

6* 



130 REMAINS OF REV. J. W, DOWNING. 

obedience to this rule involves the exercise of the princi- 
ple which we are now vindicating. 

III. It was the guiding principle of the Saviour. 
You plead earthly precedents, but Paul can refer you 
to the King of heaven. Moses saying, " Blot me, I pray 
thee, out of thy book," (Exod. xxxii, 32,) was high autho- 
rity, but Christ is the highest known in earth and heaven. 
I hear Paul pleading this exalted rule: Phil, ii, 5-12. I 
might go over the Saviour's history, and bid you see in 
every line the proof; but I can refer to two circumstances 
only : Luke xix, 41 ; Matt, xxiii, 37. How could he have 
gathered them but by his bleeding hands upon a cursed 
cross ? His cruel death ! And O ! it was for you ! Isaiah 
liii. Was not his first step to leave heaven, and all its 
honour, and happiness, and glory ? Did he not come to 
bear your sins, and avert your doom ? Did he not assume 
your sufferings 1 Was he not accursed of men, and smit- 
ten and left of God ? O ! let his word declare. He came 
to suffer, to die for your salvation. It was an infinite 
sacrifice, such as all created beings could never make. 
And now, " If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is 
none of his." 

Have I not proved the doctrine to be consistent with 
reason and revelation ? But have I inspired the feeling 1 
This was my main object. How many can adopt the lan- 
guage of the text? O, there is a lamentable lack of feeling 
among us. The drunkard, the debauchee, the sinner may 
say, " No man careth for my soul," We need this feeling 
to rouse us to effort ; this effort to see the salvation of 
sinners. Will you cultivate the feeling, and make the 
effort 1 Reflect on the little worth of every thing except 
souls — souls exposed to hell, but made for heaven. Re- 
flect on what thy Saviour did for thee. Is it not a privi- 
lege to imitate him ? God help you so to do. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 131 



XIV. 
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye 

ALSO appear with HIM IN GLORY. Col. ui, 4. 

The saint's hope of a blessed immortality is based on a 
surer foundation than all earthly hopes. It is not founded 
on any inferences drawn from his present existence, or 
from the capacity of the soul, but on the promise and his- 
tory of the Captain of our salvation. He who is our life — 
the fountain from which we derive every thing that gives 
animation and vigour to our souls — whose connection with 
us is so intimate that he is our head — so necessary, that 
were it dissolved our spirits would be as lifeless as our 
corpses — he has given us his promise, " Because I live, 
ye shall live also," — a promise based on this very union. 
And to quiet all our fears, he has spread before us his 
own history from the manger to heaven. In all this he 
has shown you human nature leaning on the divine, pur- 
suing its wondrous journey to immortality. In your like- 
ness he stands before the throne, presenting the proof and 
the pledge of your own blessed immortality. This shall 
one day be made manifest to us all ; for " when Christ, 
who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear 
with him in glory." 

I. The Christian, in this world, is in a state of humiliation. 

There is nothing in his present appearance which indi- 
cates the saint as an heir of glory. There is in this re- 
spect an analogy between him and Christ. He bore no 
sign of his Godhead, no marks of royalty. The world 
knew him not. This humiliation results from several 
causes inseparable from our present state of existence, 
some of which I will now mention. 

1. His union wdth a frail, corruptible body. Human 
glory is greater or less from its connection with external 



132 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

forms, &c. — as a king and a beggar ; Christ on the mount 
of transfiguration, and on the cross. Now it is our irre- 
versible doom to carry with us a dying body ! What 
changes sin has wrought in the body we cannot fully 
tell ; but it has impaired its beauty and strength, and 
made it dying. From the cradle to the grave it is the 
waning form of departed glory, bearing on its front the 
marks of God's anger. We may not perceive the humi- 
liation, but Heaven must. You would see it in a criminal 
chained to a corpse. In something of this light angels 
see us ! 

2. The nature of the life he here leads. The employ- 
ments of men add more or less to human glory. They 
are to a great extent earthly, not heavenly ; sensual, not 
spiritual. The very terms of our present existence are, 
" In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou 
return unto the ground." Much time must be spent in 
providing for these bodies. Intellectual pursuits are en- 
gaged in chiefly to facilitate the making of this provision. 
All spiritual pursuits are but preparatory duties ; they are 
attended with toil, self-denial, &c. Such is the condition 
of human life. The saint is here a pilgrim, far from 
home ; a labourer covered with sweat and dust — a soldier 
in arms and wounds — nor will he be victorious over all 
his foes till his day shall have past, his sun gone down. 

3. The place of his abode. A change has come over 
this earth ; it is not Eden now— it is cursed, and it bears 
the marks of it : sterile plains, wasting storms, &c. It 
bears the marks of judgments also : the flood, &c. It is 
the footstool of God. It is filled with sin, covered with 
darkness. No wonder that here you should be like the 
sun seen through the fog — shorn of your glory !* 

* " As when the sun, new risen, 
Looks through the horizontal misty air, 
Shorn of his beams." Paradise Lost. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 133 

II. At the appearance of Christ he will he exalted to 
glory. 

" Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me 
be with me where I am ; that they may behold my glory, 
which thou hast given me." " I will come again and re- 
ceive you unto myself." Yes, Christ shall appear at the 
last day, " in the clouds with power and great glory," to 
own his friends, and conduct them to heaven. The world 
on fire will be the signal to the universe of their triumphal 
entrance — angels their escort — the harps of heaven their 
welcome. Splendid have been the processions of kings, 
but this will outvie all earthly pageants. Immortal honour 
will be attached to those that compose it. 

No human being can fully tell in what this glory will 
consist. The Bible has laid down the principles, but who 
can enlarge 1 What imagination will not fail ? Who that 
has thought most — seen most — will not say, "What I 
know is finite, what I do not know is infinite ?" I am 
reluctant to particularize, lest I should take from the 
beauty and grandeur of the subject. I would rather dwell 
on those general ideas, given in the Bible, which over- 
whelm by their vastness ; but they make not the vivid 
impression which results from minutiae. Consider then, 

1. That the saint will be freed from all the imperfec- 
tions of his present state of existence. Sin has afiected 
both body and soul ; but this cause will cease to act upon 
him after death. At the resurrection, his body will be 
made incorruptible and glorious, worthy of the soul, of 
heaven, of God. His mind will be unfettered, undarken- 
ed, capacious as eternity — every way fitted for its delights 
and employments. 

2. The place of his abode. Many times does the Bible 
tell us it is heaven. However vague our notions of it, 
this we know — it has felt no curse, knows no sufiering. 
Earth's most glowing imagery is used in the Bible in 



134 REMAINS OF REV. J, W. DOWNING. 

merely sketching it ; who then shall paint it ? It is the 
home of angels — the throne of God ! 

3. His companions. To pass over the patriarchs, pro- 
phets, and apostles ; angels are his companions, the cherub 
and seraph his familiar friends. Above all, he has fellow- 
ship with the Son, and communion with the source of 
wisdom, the ever-blessed God ! 

4. His outward marks of honour. The Bible glances 
at many. The fairest insignia of earthly glory are referred 
to as shadowy emblems of them. " Heirs," " jewels," 
" sons," " kings," " priests," will there be no empty titles. 
The honours belonging to them will be inseparable from 
their possession. " Robes," " harps," " crowns," " thrones," 
are the insignia of saints. They are all-enduring ! All of 
happiness and glory which heaven knows will be ours. 
Shall we recognise ourselves when clothed with such an 
" exceeding, eternal weight of glory V^ 

Is this glory prepared for us all ? Who are now its 
heirs ? Who will refuse to seek it ? Who will regard toil 
to obtain it ? Come now and join this victorious army, 
and when the last battle shall have been fought, you shall, 
in the triumphal procession, enter the everlasting gates, 
and be rewarded by the King of glory. 



XV. 



Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great 

RECOMPENSE OF REWARD. Heb. X, 35. 

A believer's confidence has respect merely to present 
and eternal salvation. The ground of it is the atonement 
of Christ. By nature he is destitute of all good, of all 
excuse for his sins, of all claim to heaven ; and is an heir 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 135 

of hell. Christ died for his sins, purchased for him grace 
and strength, will release him from the curse of the law, 
and make him an heir of glory. God appropriates to the 
believer these blessings on condition of his faith. To 
rely on anything else is presumption. Christ died for me, 
is the only source of my joy — the only ground of my con- 
fidence. Our text teaches that Christians are liable to 
cast away their confidence, and hence the exhortation. 
Let us then consider, 

I . When Christians are prone to cast away their confidence 
in God. 

1. When they compare themselves with other Chris- 
tians. We are too apt to measure ourselves by ourselves 
and others, rather than by the Bible. We see so great a 
difference between our experience and that of others, and 
especially that of eminent saints, that we conclude we 
have not been converted. Thus, instead of being pro- 
voked by them to love and good works, we despond and 
despair. 

2. When in a low state of religious enjoyment. In 
such a state, which is always the consequence of unfaith- 
fulness, our feelings are so unlike what they once were, 
that we feel as if we had lost all our religion. We take 
so little comfort in holy things that we conclude we do 
not love them, or their Author. This state of mind should 
create anxiety, but not distrust ; our only help is in 
Christ. 

3. When under great trials. In such situations we are 
often placed by the permission of God. We may be 
afflicted by the loss of property and reputation ; in our 
persons by disease, in our families by sickness and death. 
In these situations we are too often absorbed in the suffer- 
ing, and forget God. Hence we lose sight of his mercy 
and love, and feel to murmur that he has forgotten us. 
If he loved us, we say, he would not thus have smitten 



136 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

US. We give up our confidence in his providence and 
grace, instead of remembering the design and utility of 
afflictions. 

4. In times of temptation. Innumerable are the ways 
in which Christians are tempted. God permits earth and 
hell to assail them, and has merciful designs therein. But 
instead of counting it all joy when we fall into divers 
temptations, (James i, 2,) we often despair. " No one 
was ever tempted as I am." " I cannot be a Christian, 
or I should not be so tempted." " I cannot hold out, can^ 
not resist." How many thus speak and act ! 

5. When overcome by sin. Our temptations are some 
times so strong that we yield — the attack so bold that wc 
surrender. We have at such times cause for grief and 
humility, not for despair. If we have injured the cause 
of Christ, let us not injure it more by renouncing it. But 
some give up all, forgetting that " if any man sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" — 
that " if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- 
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness" — and forgetting all the promises. 

II. Let us enforce the exhortation of the apostle^ " Cast 
not away,^^ &c. 

We should regard the effects of confidence, 
1. Upon others. Would you make your fellow Chris- 
tians bold and strong, be confident yourself. They are 
looking to you for an example. The fearful saint is to 
the world also a poor sample of the influence of religion. 
They know the character and promises of God, and the 
feelings which these should create in us. How low do 
both we and our religion sink in their view, when we are 
afraid to trust in God. The confidence of Christians, in 
times of danger, has led many to admire true religion ; 
the confidence of martyrs has dismayed their enemies, 
and emboldened their friends. Would you show to your 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 137 

children, friends, and the world, the worth of religion, be 
confident in God. 

2. Upon ourselves. Confidence in God is our only 
safeguard in temptation ; trust in any other being will 
ruin us. He only can succour, defend, and deliver us. 
Why not, then, trust in him ? It is our only support under 
trials and afflictions. If our property has gone, we may 
be happy if we trust in Providence, and look to heaven, 
our enduring substance. If friends have been taken away, 
we may be happy if resigned to the will of our heavenly 
Father. If health has left us, we may be joyful in the 
thought of our speedy release from earth. Confidence in 
God will support us in the hour of death. " Yea, though 
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evil ; for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff 
they comfort me," is its exulting language. No terror 
reigns there. 

It will render us calm and peaceful under all circum- 
stances, and in all situations. " Thou wilt keep him in 
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." Hence the 
Bible often represents those as blessed who trust in the 
Lord. Psalms xxxiv, xxxvii, cxxv. Hence also the ex- 
hortation in the text. 

3. Confidence in God will secure our eternal felicity. 
If we cast it away, we cast away our all. There is no 
other way of salvation, no other condition than reliance. 
If we adhere to it, we are of Christ's family, (Heb. iii, 6,) 
and heirs to all the glories of heaven. How vast the 
reward in so doing ! Weigh all glory, and you will just 
compute it ! How vast and powerful the motive to obey 
the divine exhortation ! God help us so to do ! 



138 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



XVI. 

Wo TO THAT MAN BY WHOM THE SoN OF MAN IS BETRAYED ! GOOD 
WERE IT FOR THAT MAN IF HE HAD NEVER BEEN BORN. ^Maik 

xiv, 21. 

There is something very melancholy in the circum- 
stances of the Saviour's death. When we think of his 
life of humiliation and suffering, when we reflect that all 
his love was disinterested, and that he should die in such 
a way, we cannot but be affected. And when we con- 
sider that the traitor had been an intimate of the Saviour, 
that he had witnessed his conversation and acts of bene- 
volence, that he betrayed him for so small a sum, and in 
such a manner, there is a feeling of abhorrence which 
rises in our bosoms. But let us not vent all our indigna- 
tion upon Judas ; thousands since have betrayed Christ, 
yea, crucified him. Heb. vi, 6. We may do it, if we 
have not already, though he is not now incarnate. We 
may, to all intents, sell him for money, and deliver him to 
his foes. Let us consider then the different ways in which 
we are in danger of betraying Christ. 

I. By avarice, or for the sake of wealth. 

Thus Judas did. Those professors of religion, who are 
more eager to attain wealth than piety, are guilty. Why? 
They profess to have the spirit of Christ, and say by their 
profession that he approves their course ; they thus bring 
contempt upon the church, and what is done to the church 
is done to Him. " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 
They who deviate from the rule of right for the sake of 
a good bargain, however small the deviation, are guilty. 
" Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least com- 
mandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 139 

the least in the kingdom of heaven." They do teach men 
so by their example ; they sell the principles of the gos- 
pel for money, and give the name of Christian to the con- 
tempt of the world. Fear then the first step ; Judas began 
by stealing. John xii, 6. 

II. By ambition. 

The honours of the world are captivating to all, but 
Christ commands us not to love them. Yet how many 
professed Christians covet them, and exert themselves to 
obtain them ! Times of political excitement afford many ' 
examples ; witness their connivances — their attendance in 
caucuses on sabbath evenings, &c. 

How many others sacrifice active good for literary dis- 
tinction ! Do not such betray Christ? Let the world 
answer. He who preaches for popularity is verily guilty 
of betraying Christ ; he sacrifices the glory of God for 
worldly honour. Lord, save me ! 

III. By self-indulgence. 

To engage in the sinful amusements of the world is to 
betray Christ. How much reproach has thus been brought 
upon the church ! The indulgence of impure thoughts and 
desires has led very many to unholy actions — traitorous 
actions. The indulgence of revenge and pride has given 
rise to acts which have shown that the heart was against 
Christ, and that the individual needed but the opportunity 
to become an actual traitor. What a man would do, for 
that must he answer ! What would many do, in despite 
of the precepts of Christ, were circumstances favourable ! 
How many have in deeds imbodied lust, revenge, and 
pride, and thus sold Christ to his enemies ! But the 
indulgence of self-will has, perhaps, been the most fruitful 
cause of betraying Christ. What a spirit of rebellion is 
thus fostered ! and this spirit, be it remembered, would, 
were it not subdued, lead to treason. What difficulties 
have arisen in churches from this source ! How many 



140 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

have thus betrayed Christ, so that the church from neces- 
sity has expelled them ! The indulgence of self-love has 
also led multitudes to betray Christ ; all who live for them- 
selves alone are sure to do it. 

IV. By carelessness. 

A man, especially if placed in an elevated station, may 
betray his country by carelessness in time of peace, or by 
disclosing secrets in time of war. So Christians may 
betray Christ through want of consideration and reflec- 
tion. They are bound to watch and pray constantly, and 
may obtain strength to do so ; and if they love their Mas- 
ter as they should, they will consult his will. 

In conclusion ; Christ found his worst foe among the 
twelve disciples. Are not his worst foes now too often num- 
bered among his friends ? Are any of us guilty of betraying 
him ? Let us repent, and for the future prove our fidelity 
by our acts. Is there a backslider here ? I entreat you 
to repent. Unless you do, the fruitless sorrow and awful 
doom of Judas may be yours ! " Wo to that man hy whom 
the Son of man is betrayed ! good were it for that man if he 
had 7iever been born^ 



XVII. 



S PORTING THEMSELVES WITH THEIR OWN DECEIVINGS. 2 Pctei ii, 13. 

It is painful to behold the deception which is practised 
in the world, and the misery which it causes. Witness 
the tricks of business, and the poverty which follows. It 
is more painful to behold it where character and happi- 
ness are involved ; as in the abuse of confidence reposed 
in false friends. Specially painful is it to witness it in 
sickness ; — see the victim of consumption sporting him- 
self with the hope of recovery. Most of all is it painful 
to see deception in matters of religion ; where the soul is 



REMAINS OF REV. J. \V. DOWNING. 141 

at Stake. Here the risk is greatest, and here too the most 
are sporting. O how painful to the Christian ! Let us 
enumerate some instances of those who may be said to 
sport themselves with their own deceivings. 

1. The infidel. He has concluded to disbelieve the 
Bible altogether. He has come to this conclusion either 
independently, or by the aid of others. In either case 
he has been willingly deceived, for he has relied on 
unassisted and perverted reason, or has been warped by 
prejudice or inclination. No prayer, no humble reliance 
on divine aid, has mingled with any efforts which he may 
have made to learn the truth, while conscience and the 
Spirit are against him. Resting in infidelity, he lives 
without at all recognising God — lives for his own plea- 
sure — without reference to eternity — and even ridiculing 
every thing like piety. If the Bible be true, is he not 
deceiving himself ? Is he not fearfully sporting while the 
sword of justice hangs over him '? 

2. The hypocrite. He deceives men, accomplishes his 
purposes under the guise of religion, and inwardly laughs 
at his success. He hopes never to be detected, yet how 
often he is detected ! How often on his death-bed ! " His 
confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle ; and shall 
bring him to the king of terrors." But he is the most 
deceived himself, for he acts on the principle that to 
appear religious here is the main thing. The Bible says 
otherwise. Perhaps he expects to deceive God ; he acts 
as if this were his expectation, but his hope shall be cut 
off. What sorry sporting will this appear to be at the bar 
of God ! 

3. The man of pleasure. He acts on the principle that 
this world can afford lasting joys ; but the Bible and expe- 
rience say that it cannot. Hence he tries new plans, and 
sports with the light that leads him through the bogs of 
pain and sorrow. He also acts on the principle that the 



142 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

chief end of life is to enjoy pleasure here. This is his 
great deception. Hence he makes no preparation for eter- 
nity, and laughs at those who do. Poor man ! his day will 
soon be over — the eternal night will soon overshadow him ! 

" ye who deem one moment unamused 
A misery, say, dreamers of gay dreams ! 
How will you weather an eternal night ?" 

4. The moralist. His theory is that his heart need not 
be changed, that his own works can commend him to 
God. This is a deception, as will appear evident, if we 
consider what we are, what God is, and what are the 
requisitions of the gospel. He sports with his deception, 
for he permits it to lead him to security and ease, though 
he is without repentance and faith. How painful to see 
him going in spiritual death to death eternal, and yet 
sporting along the way ! 

5. The procrastinator. He puts off attention to the great 
subject of religion on many pretences. 

•' Waiting God's time." He has an idea that God will 
convert him by irresistible power ! Waiting for this, and 
yet living in sin ! But now is God's time, and every mo- 
ment is carrying him beyond it. Wait for irresistible 
power ! He must wait for ever \ 

" Waiting for a more convenient season." His business 
now interferes, and when will it not? His plans are now 
in the way, and so they always will be. There can be no 
more convenient season than the present, whether he 
consider the state of his own heart, or the disposition of 
God. Every moment's delay makes the matter worse. 
And yet how many go on sporting, and in their sporting 
die ! O death-beds, what say ye to this ! 

Let us remember, 1. What will render this deception " 
so painful to us hereafter is, that it is our own work. We 
have reason, conscience, the Bible, and the Spirit. We 
are free to avail oursel^s of their aid, or to refuse. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 143 

Satan cannot deceive us writhout our consent. What 
more aggravating thought than this, when our eyes shall 
be opened ? 

2. The deception will end with this world, but its 
awful consequences will not. Many shall open their eyes 
in death, and see their folly and their doom. All in the 
spirit-world shall see clearly. The deceiver will there 
laugh at us, and torment us for our folly. O sport not 
with your own deceivings, for eternal happiness is at 
stake ! 



XVIII. 

Sin .... EXCEEDING SINFUL. — Rom. vii, 13. 

The great design of preaching is to save men from 
eternal death. "Go ye into all the world, and preach 
the gospel to every creature. He that belie veth, and is 
baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall 
be damned." But this salvation can be attained only by 
an entire renovation of our nature. " Except a man be 
bom again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The 
reason is, we are sinners, and God is holy, and hates 
sin. Hence the necessity of showing men what sin is, 
in its nature and consequences, that it may seem to them 
" exceeding sinful," and that they may be induced to go 
to " the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world," and be saved for ever. Let us show that sin is 
in its nature, aside from its consequences, an exceedingly 
great evil. This will appear evident if we consider, 

L The mercy which it rejects. 

Man's fall gave rise to the necessity of an atonement. 
It was mercy, and not justice, which prompted God to 
make it. The blessings which the atonement secures to 
all men, and especially to those that believe, exhibit the 



144 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

boundless mercy of God. This mercy the sinner rejects 
— rejects while he knows that he cannot be saved by 
justice — rejects after it has been ofiered ten thousand 
times, and with love — rejects while spiritual death preys 
upon him, and while eternal death is before him. Is not 
this great pride — great slighting of a holy God ? Is it not 
suicide ? This mercy is free and infinite, and we are in 
need of it, and this is what renders us so odious in the 
rejection of it. 

11. The power which it despises. 

How odious is that man who despises the power of a 
good ruler ; what a destitution of sense and wisdom does 
he exhibit ! How great the crime to contemn a judge 
when acting uprightly ! Now God is king over all, not 
by a delegated, but by an inherent right ; so is he " the 
judge of all the earth." He cannot but do right, and in 
his arm is almighty power. The sinner despises his 
power, and refuses to respect him as a lawgiver, governor, 
and judge. Every act of sin is a despising of the power 
which forbids it. Yea, sinners challenge God to exert 
his power ; as profane swearers, for example. They no 
more respect his power than if he had none, and act as 
if he had none. And his power is exerted only for the 
happiness of the universe. There must be, then, some- 
thing awfully wicked in the sin which despises it. 

HI. The ingratitude which it manifests. 

Ingratitude, even to men, is one of the most odious 
traits of character. The greater the goodness bestowed, 
the greater the ingratitude. Now God is our Father, and 
every blessing which we receive comes from him. He is 
our Redeemer, and O the infinite love which that redemp- 
tion manifests ! For all these favours the sinner feels no 
gratitude. He is thoughtless, even in the most favourable 
view which we can take ; he murmurs, and is discon- 
tented. That love which God displays in his redemption 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 145 

he will not accept nor reciprocate, but turns his back 
upon it. Yea, he reviles his Saviour, and stabs him to 
the heart.. For proof, see how the Saviour was treated 
when on earth. Thus is he treated now ; for ye are at 
enmity against him. Sin has lost none of its peculiari- 
ties. O hellish ingratitude ! O frightful sin ! what is thy 
nature ? 

IV. Sin is " exceeding sinful" for it is rebellion against 
God, 

It is very difficult to decide when men have a right to 
rebel against " the powers that be." But all admit that 
we have no right to rebel against a good government. 
How exceedingly wicked, then, must be rebellion against 
God ; for he has, 

1. A perfect right to our obedience, as our Creator and 
Preserver. We are owned by him. This world is his ; 
subject to his power, governed by his laws. 

2. His government is wise and just. None can fathom 
the wisdom exhibited in his natural, intellectual, and 
moral laws ; nor his justice, displayed in all his works 
and ways ; they are infinite. 

3. His government w^ould secure the greatest possible 
amount of happiness to every man. This follows from 
his infinite benevolence. Men have found it so in pro-- 
portion to their obedience ; as in the blessings of society. 

4. He is holy. By consequence, he hates sin. The 
sinner knows this, but he willingly offends this holiness. 
Sin must be " exceeding sinful," because holiness abhors 
it. Every act of sin is rebellion. How far is rebellion 
carried, notwithstanding the restraints of God's grace ! 
What would sin do were these restraints removed ! It 
would destroy all that is dear, all moral right, and even 
dethrone the Deity ! Proof is found in the crucifixion of 
Christ. 

We see from this subject, 

7 



146 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

1. Why one sin justly exposes us to the wrath of God, 
One sin combines all this rejection of the mercy and con- 
tempt of the power of God ; all this ingratitude and re- 
bellion. And it is against him who hath done so much 
for us ! 

2. The necessity of regeneration. God is holy, and we 
are sinful ; and can we hope to partake of his happiness 
without partaking of his nature ? His nature is far differ- 
ent from ours. " Ye must he horn again^^ 



XIX. 

Sin . ; . . EXCEEDING SINFUL." — Rom. vii, 13. 



Such is human nature, that in order to induce men to 
break off their sins, it is necessary to show them not only 
what sin is in its nature, but also what it is in its conse- 
quences. Little do sinners think of the nature of their 
acts if they are not followed by evil consequences. So 
deep is the sleep into which we are fallen, that nothing 
but an appeal to our feelings can wake us. Let us en- 
deavour to show that sin, in its consequences, is an 
exceedingly great evil. This will appear evident if we 
consider, 

I. The happiness which it rejects. 

Had man remained in a state of innocence he would 
have been perfectly happy as a physical, intellectual, 
moral, and social being. But sin closed the fountains of 
happiness, and opened those of misery. The gospel 
comes to open the former, and eternally close the latter. 
If all men would act according to it, they would here se- 
cure happiness almost as great as that which was lost, 
and be perfectly happy hereafter. But sin destroys the 
happiness of man, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. H7 

1. As a physical being. It leads him to those courses 
which impair all his physical powers ; it induces disease, 
pain, and death. He does not, as he might, merely wear 
out, " The years of the wicked shall be shortened." 

2. As an intellectual being. The mind is affected by 
the body ; its power is not half as great as it might be, 
and of course cannot, in its exercise, result in so much 
happiness. Intellectual pursuits are also attended with 
pain. 

3. As a moral being. He loses an approving con- 
science, a blessed hope, and satisfied desires. He loses 
all that happiness which the most holy Christian enjoys. 

4. As a social being. If the gospel were obeyed uni- 
versally there would be no oppression, wars, or other 
national evils. How rapidly would men then make pro- 
gress in those arts and sciences which would increase the 
blessings of life ! We lose by sin all these advantages, 
as well as all the delight which would result from a per- 
fect state of brotherhood. 

5. As an immortal being. The gospel proposes to raise 
us, not to an earthly, but to a heavenly paradise ; to all 
the happiness of angels. How useless to attempt a de- 
scription of the joys of heaven ! " Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, 
the things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him." They are infinite and eternal. But sin prevents 
our yielding to the gospel, and leads us to reject all this 
happiness. Is it not, then, " exceeding sinful ?" 

II. The misery which it brings upon us. 

And here where shall we begin the sadjrecital? 

1. As physical beings. Our diseases and pains are 
the result of sin, actual or original. How great the bodily 
pain of the drunkard and debauchee ! See how disease 
is transmitted ! 

2. As intellectual beings. Sin has rendered the intel- 



i48 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



lect like an encaged bird. How often is it impaired so 
as to lose its powers ! as in cases of insanity. 

3. As moral beings. How much we suffer from the 
fear of punishment, from remorse, and unsatisfied desire ! 
On death-beds we see the misery of ages condensed into 
moments, and the elements of eternal wo inflaming human 
breasts ! 

4. As social beings. How much we suffer from the 
unkindness and selfishness of our fellow-men ! How 
much from fraud, cruelty, and oppression ! How much 
from war, volumes cannot tell. All is the effect of sin. 
There is not one evil, great or small, which is not the 
fruit of sin. Sin hath made our Avorld a " vale of tears," 
a " field of blood," a *' place of skulls." There is no re- 
medy but the gospel, and this sin despises. 

5. As immortal beings. Sin does not end with this 
world. Here it only mingles the cup, and puts it to our 
lips ; in the other world we shall drink of it for ever. 
Fear, remorse, and pain only begin their work here ; there 
they will be quickened into eternal labour. Memory, 
reason, and imagination will there unite to carry on the 
work. The justice of God will there aggravate the sin- 
ner's case. Will there not then be individual misery there 
as the fruit of sin ? There wdll be also social misery. 
From such a state of society as will there exist, could you 
expect any thing else ? There mutual hatred and malice 
will be implacable, and the means of showing them aug- 
mented. O what contentions there ! In addition to all 
this, there will be the wrath of God on each and all, and 
that for ever. O what misery ! Sin has made all the 
ingredients, and mixed them ; is it not then " exceeding 
sinful ?" But ah ! I may have given you no conception 
of eternal death. May you never taste it ! 

We see from this subject, 

1. Why sin is so hateful to God. It is so not only be- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 149 

cause it is an offence against him, but also because it 
makes his creatures miserable. Infinitely benevolent as 
he is, he desires the happiness of his creatures, and must 
therefore hate that which fills men with wo, the world 
with death, and hell with lost sinners. 

2. How great the danger of continuing therein. You, my 
impenitent hearers, are those who are rejecting this hap- 
piness, and gathering this misery. O stop ! turn to Christ, 
the Lamb of God, and you may be saved. Refuse, and 
you must be lost ! 



XX. 

It is a little one. — Gen. xix, 20. 

Such was the language of Lot as he left Sodom, and 
beheld Zoar. On account of its smallness, the latter was 
not, it would seem, in his view, so much corrupted. As 
ministers, we urge men to flee from sin as from a great 
evil. But many reply that sin is but a trifle. Others say 
so by their actions. Interfere with their rights, and it is 
a crime ; interfere with God's, and it is a small matter ! 
But sin is not a trifle, which will appear evident from 
several considerations. 

I. It is the cause of human degradation. 

That man is degraded none can deny who look upon 
society, its follies, pleasures, and vices. Whatever noble 
qualities we see are but broken pillars of a once beautiful 
fabric. From them we may infer man's original dignity. 
The Bible asserts that man is degraded — that his desires 
are sensualized — that his aflfections are vitiated by sin, 
and estranged from wisdom and holiness. Nor is this so 
in individual cases only ; it is universal. Newly disco- 
vered nations are found to be degraded. The Bible asserts 
sin to be the cause. Is it a trifle, if it have such a cor- 



150 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

jupting influence ? Must not the fountain be large from 
which so many streams have issued ? 

II. It is the cause of the Christianas warfare. 

His whole life is one of warfare. Thus it is always 
represented in the Bible. The patriarchs, prophets, apos- 
tles, and martyrs, proved it so. It has been meliorated so 
far as it regards persecution, but the Christian must always 
jSght. None can go smoothly to heaven. The flesh, the 
world, and the devil, are arrayed against him. They wage 
constant warfare against him, and there can be no truce, 
no release till death. What hath made all these his 
enemies ? What saith the Bible ? Sin ! Is that a small 
thing which has caused the martyrdom of so many saints ? 
which makes the Christian's conflict so hard that he needs 
divine assistance in order to overcome ? which has so 
jnany champions, and so direful armour ? 

III. God hath manifested his disapprobation of it. 

By necessity, infinite holiness must hate sin ; if it be a 
small thing, the disapprobation would be correspondingly 
small. Does God manifest but little displeasure ? 

1. In his word he says, " O, do not this abominable 
thing that I hate." " The way of the wicked is an abo- 
mination unto the Lord." What is the whole tenor of the 
Bible ? Against sin. Why did God give it ? To lead men 
from sin. Why has he affixed such penalties to sin ? 
Why is he angry with sinners every day ? Why does 
he threaten such wrath to come ? Not because sin is a 
trifle ! 

2. In his works he exhibits the same strong disappro- 
bation. He " spared not the angels that sinned, but cast 
them down to hell." He drove Adam and Eve from Eden 
— destroyed the world with a flood — Sodom with fire and 
brimstone — and visited the Jews with awful judgments. 
Why all this ? Can sin be a trifle ? God would not thus 
act for trifles ! Sin is the same now ; it has not changed 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 151 

its nature. That it is no trifle is echoed in the sighs 
and groans of earth, and written in blood upon its hills 
and plains ; — that it is no trifle God has written in burning 
characters in a blazing world ; — that it is no trifle he has 
fearfully depicted in the curling smoke which " ascendeth 
up for ever and ever !" 

IV. It occasioned the sufferings and death of Christ, 
Had not sin entered our world, there would have been 
no need of an atonement. As sin entered, there was need. 
" Without shedding of blood is no remission." The law 
could not be annulled, man could not obey it after the fall, 
nor atone for past transgression. Christ became an offer- 
ing for sin : (Isaiah liii :) " For he hath made him to be 
sin (a sin-ofi'ering) for us, who knew no sin." Would God 
have given his Son to remedy a small disorder? The 
greatness of the remedy shows the magnitude of the evil. 
Would the Son have humbled himself, sufiered and died 
for a slight cause ? Could a trifling evil have caused such 
acute suflfering in the garden — on the cross ? Would all 
the means of grace which have grown out of the atone- 
ment be used for a small purpose 1 Think not that all 
this expense is for naught. Thy God is not foolish in 
his schemes, nor prodigal of means. The suflferings of 
Christ were proportionate to the magnitude of sin ! 

God then says that sin is no trifle. You cannot con- 
vince him otherwise. Remember he is Judge, and will 
award the penalty. Sport not then with thine own deceiv* 
ings. Such sporting will cost thee thy soul ! And " what 
is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul ?" 



152 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

XXI. 

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. — Rev. xxii, 11. 

The revelator has just related, in graphic language, his 
vision of the judgment and heaven. The angel said unto 
him, " Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book : 
for the time is at ha7idJ^ This may be said with propriety, 
since a thousand years in God's sight are as one day. 
The idea seems to me to be, that the effects of men's 
actions will soon overtake them, and prevent all change 
of character. " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still." 
I shall therefore endeavour to show, that he who dies unjust 
will remain unjust for ever. 

Let us examine two of the objections which have been 
urged against our position. 

1. The view of the happiness of the righteous, it is 
said, may change the character of the wicked in eternity. 

Men see this happiness in the present life, in the words 
of the righteous, in their lives, whether prosperous or ad- 
verse, and in their death. The last always affects men 
deeply. " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let 
my last end be like his !" This happiness is, in its nature, 
the same on earth as in heaven, as its only source is the 
same — the favour, love, and service of God. But it never 
changes the heart, unless the Spirit use it as a means. 
It is not in the power of circumstances to effect this 
change in time ; how then in eternity, since man will be 
the same, and the Spirit be withdrawn ? 

Men say that they do not see much of this happiness 
in this world, owing to the nature of society, the mixed 
dispensations of the present life, and the numerous in- 
stances of unhappy professors of religion. Can you prove 
that you will see more of it in the other world ? You will 
be removed from it all. Dives saw it only at a distance. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 153 

But you see enough in this life to convince your under- 
standings, and affect your sensibilities ; and, as free 
agents, this is all you can expect. You do not compre- 
hend how happiness can flow from the favour, love, and 
service of God. Why? "Because the carnal mind is 
enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of 
God, neither indeed can be." But the same cause will 
operate in eternity more powerfully to produce the same 
effect. 

The fruition of heaven and of Eden failed to preserve 
angels and Adam in innocence ; how idle to think the 
mere view of heaven may restore lost souls to obedience ! 
If it could have done so, would God have given his Son? 
Would it not have been cheaper even to open all heaven 
to view, than to send from it his Son ? He gave his Son 
because nothing else would do ! 

2. Suffering, it is said, may produce this change. 

It has been asserted that all suffering is designed by 
God to reform the individual on whom it falls. You do 
not always expect this effect from punishment in civil 
society; pain is not always corrective to society. The 
pains of infants are not, from the nature of the case, cor- 
rective to the sufferers. The sufferings of Adam, which 
were inflicted by divine justice, and which constituted 
the curse of the law he had broken, were not corrective ; 
for had they been, whence the need of a Saviour ? There 
is, then, no certainty that the sufferings of the lost will 
produce a change of character. 

We are daily called to much suffering in consequence 
of sin — as uneasiness, remorse, fear, &c. ; but it does not 
lead us to break off our sins ! How often are we visited 
with severe afflictions — loss of property, health, friends ! 
We may feel deeply, as many do, but our characters remain 
the same. Many even grow worse — none better, unless 
led by the Spirit to some view of themselves. The cul- 

7* 



154 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

prit is never reformed by suffering alone. There is suf- 
fering enough to change us all, could suffering do it. 

If it do not in time, why will it in eternity, man remain- 
ing the same ? Because it will be greater in degree ? 
Then present suffering would always make us proportion- 
ally better in this life. Why did not God flood the world 
with wo rather than give his Son, if suffering be remedial ? 
Because suffering must be sanctified by the Spirit in order 
to do good, and the Spirit could be given only through the 
atonement. But in eternity there is no Spirit thus to act ; 
He is sent to " the world ^"^ not to hell. But, 

3. Yice is progressive ; hence the truth of our position. 

The law of the physical, intellectual, and moral world, 
is progression. This you admit. You have every reason 
to believe that this is the law of all God's moral universe, 
pervading heaven and hell. Death cannot interfere with 
this moral progression ; it is not a suspension of being, 
but an opening to a boundless arena. In this world re- 
pentance alone stops the current, and faith alone turns it. 
Neither can exist without the aid of the Spirit, which 
enters not the world of wo. "Weeping, and wailing, and 
gnashing of teeth, are not repentance ; a view of the Judge 
is not faith in the Saviour. O, how sin will corrode for 
ever ! How swiftly will the current flow when the op- 
posing zephyrs of the Spirit are hushed for ever ! I see 
the stream gushing anew from the grave, and I know its 
bed is eternity ! 

I leave this awful subject and all its associations with 
you, knowing that we are soon to pass from this changing 
scene to an unchanging and eternal world. If I had come 
commissioned to apply the declaration of the text to you 
now, how would you feel 1 We are liable to be removed 
at any and every moment ! O ! let us ascertain our moral 
character, for this alone of all things shall we carry with us. 
If holy, let us persevere ; if unholy, repent and believe. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 155 



XXII. 

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings'! — 
Isaiah xxxiii, 14. 

I AM ready to admit that this is figurative language, but 
not that on this account it means nothing. Why were 
figures used but because of the barrenness of language, 
and to make it more expressive 1 How foolish, then, to 
assert that the text is no argument for the existence of 
hell, inasmuch as the language is figurative ! I came not, 
however, to prove that there is a hell, for you believe it ; 
it is too plain to question. But who of us shall dwell 
there ? I would have you tear yourselves away from 
earth, and seriously ask, Shall I go where they go who 
forget God ? Think of hell before it shall open upon you. 
You start back and refuse. Why ? It is too unpleasant, 
you say. Why is it so unpleasant ? Let us see. 

I. Because, as sinners, we are exposed to it. 

It is idle for men to say that they do not love to think 
of hell because the supposition of its existence is absurd ; 
the^ contrary is more so. Do they say the supposition 
dishonours God? They care nothing about that; and, 
besides, hell will honour God as much as heaven, for it 
will show his justice and love. The fact is, our aversion 
proceeds from our exposure. We care nothing about 
dangers which do not affect us or our race — such as the 
conflagration of distant stars ; nor usually about dangers 
which do not affect our friends. Hence even the most 
ungodly are not displeased with the thought of hell as 
" prepared for the devil and his angels ;" though it would 
be hard to show why they should sufier, and the impeni- 
tent go clear. Now that it has been also prepared to hold 
the wicked of our race, why is the thought of it unplea- 
sant ? Because, when we come to settle the question in 



156 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the text on tlie principles of the Bible, we see that some 
of our friends may be there — ^that we may go there. We 
are exposed to everlasting burnings ! We cannot bear to 
think thus of our friends or of ourselves. 

II. The thought of it would imbitter life. 

Were one to realize the effects of his sins, would he 
persist in them ? Would the drunkard drink, should he 
see every dram driving his coffin-nails ? Would the thief 
steal, should he see the progressive twisting of the gal- 
lows-rope ? Men do not stop to think of the effects. 
Though they see them in others, they hope to escape. 
" Because sentence against an evil work is not executed 
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully 
set in them to do evil." Now thoughts of hell would lead 
us to see these effects to be awful and eternal. Were 
men to realize the gnawings of the worm that dieth not, 
could they sin as cheerfully as they do ? No. Men know 
this, and hence put such thoughts far away ; for they are 
in love with sin, and will not be divorced. " I have loved 
strangers, and after them will I go." 

III. The thought of it might lead to religion. 

When danger threatens we naturally look for a way of 
escape. Hell is revealed to us that we may avoid it. 
Hence it is spoken of as evitable. The way of escape 
is clearly marked out that we may neither mistake, nor 
despair. But sinners do not love religion ; they love 
neither its Author, terms, nor nature. They will not think 
of hell, because they are averse to going to the cross. I 
appeal to you if, when you have thought of it, you have 
not said to yourself, " I must secure religion now ; but 
then I do not want it now, so I will drown my thoughts 
of hell in business or pleasure." The Spirit was leading 
you, but you broke away. Why would you so peril your 
soul? 

It is important, however, that we meet the question in 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 157 

the text fairly, and we can do so by the aid of the 
Bible. 

1. We are very soon to enter the future world, where 
it will be finally settled. As men, as spirits, we are bound 
to meet it now. How awful to be surprised at last ! How 
inconsistent to be afraid to think of that which we are 
every day risking ! O that we feared hell itself as much 
as we fear the thought of it ! 

2. It will lead us to close self-examination. Other mo- 
tives fail to do it, but this cannot. Call up all the horrors 
of hell, and you instantly ask. Will they be my portion ? 
You know you can obtain an answer only from the Bible, 
conscience, and the Spirit. That you have no sympathy 
with hell, is no proof that you will not go there. They 
are investigations for eternity, which are thorough and 
useful. 

3. It will arouse our fears for others. Many of our 
friends are unconverted, for whose salvation we do but 
little by prayer, exhortation, and other pious efforts. Other 
motives fail to make us faithful to them, and to overcome 
our difiidence. Fears of their future misery may avail to 
do this. " Who among us shall dwell with everlasting 
burnings ?" See them sinking into hell — and what efforts 
will you make ? Hov/ much does a father risk to save his 
son from drowning ? How much w^ll he risk to save his 
soul ? O what a spur would these fears give to our efforts 
for the salvation of others at home and abroad ! 

Many of you are living in sin on whom every gentle 
motive has failed ; and yet you are posting to hell. You 
are charmed by the siren. Think of dwelling with ever- 
lasting burnings ! The thought will break the charm ; it 
will disturb you ; but like the cry of fire, it will lead you 
to seek for safety. There is no virtue in fear, but it will 
lead you to the cross ; and there you will be melted, and 
wooed, and won. Unless you fear, you will never go ; 



158 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

unless you think, you may never fear. If you think aright, 
you may never again fear for yourself. 

" Who among us shall dwell loith everlasting burnings ?" 
How suitable to ask, Is it I ? Can you answer boldly, 
No ? If not, O repent, believe ; for if you do not, you 
will dwell there ! Do not put off the question. You may 
think me unkind to press it, but I am not half so unkind 
as you are in risking the danger. Will you risk it longer ? 



XXIII. 

Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are gone out. — ^Matt. xxv, 8. 

Such was the language of the foolish virgins when 
surprised by the announcement of the bridegroom's ap- 
proach. It implies, 1. A confession of their deficiency. 
2. A desire to have it supplied. Without explaining 
the parable, let us use it as Christ did for the purpose of 
religious instruction. It teaches us, 

L That there are seasons when the most careless feel and 
confess their need of a preparation to meet God. 

That we must all meet God is an admitted fact. The 
necessity of a preparation for this event arises from our 
character as sinners. The effects of that meeting will be 
eternal^ and hence the preparation must be thorough and 
careful. 

1 . When alone we are sometimes unconsciously led to 
reflections which alarm us. So in company our counte- 
nances will sometimes change — we cannot join in the 
mirth of our companions — we equivocate. In the night 
we frequently think of death and judgment — troubled 
dreams awake us — we find no peace. 

2. Under the preaching of the gospel. Human ac- 
countability, the requisitions of the law, the moral govern- 
ment of God, and eternity, are the great topics which call 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 159 

up serious thoughts. The Spirit applies the truth to the 
conscience, and the sinner says in his heart and by his 
looks, " / am unprepared.''^ Hence the effect which we 
sometimes see in large congregations. Men feel that 
they would give all the world for religion, and are led to 
ask our prayers, and induced to seek salvation. 

3. When suffering under the bereavements of Provi- 
dence. There is something peculiar in affliction to break 
down the pride of the heart. It will lead us to receive 
consolation from any one, however low and humble. It 
causes us to feel differently toward the Bible and prayer. 
When we visit the grave, we cannot but think on morta- 
lity and immortality, and reflect on the lot of the departed 
in the other world. We are led to ask. What will be my 
destiny ? Then, under the deep impression of the eter- 
nity of our existence, we feel our need. How often have 
our friends and God been witnesses to the vows then made ! 

4. When in apparent danger. When pestilence walk- 
eth abroad, how are the pursuits of men changed ! How 
great the seriousness when the cholera was among us ! 
How little did many care for the world ! " When thy 
judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world 
will learn righteousness." So in a thunder-storm the gay 
turn pale as death. Sailing parties have become praying 
circles. How different in all these scenes is the saint 
from the sinner ! And what makes the difference ? 

5. When called to die. Generally " all dissimulation 
is then at an end," and pride yields to the awfulness of 
the scene. The soul, if fully awake, feels and declares 
its wants, and reproaches its past actions. It asks for 
prayer and instruction. Its language is. Give me of your 
oil ; for my lamp has gone out. Hence infidels have changed 
their views in death. Their need is fully open before 
them, and their requests are urgent. I wish I could carry 
you to death-beds which I have visited. 



160 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

II. The necessity of making this preparation now. 

In regard to other things you are wise ; not so in regard 
to religion. God has given you the power of foreseeing 
your wants, and of providing for them. You prepare for 
winter, for age, but not for death and eternity. We en- 
treat, and warn, and beg, but you neglect. You send 
for us when life is waning, and the soul departing, but 
then it is often too late ! 

1. You know not how soon God will call you. This 
is a trite, but weighty remark. You admit it, but do not 
practise on the admission. How numerous are casualties 
and diseases ! You see death claiming all ages, but are 
you not presuming on many days ? If you knew when 
death would come, would you not prepare ? There is 
more reason you should do so, as you do not know. Mark 
xiii, 35, 36. Your want of preparation will neither pre- 
vent nor delay his coming. How awful to be unprepared ! 

" How shocking must thy summons be, O death ! 
To him that is at ease in his possessions ; 
Who, counting on long years of pleasure here, 
Is quite unfurnish'd for the world to come ! 
In that dread moment, how the frantic soul 
Raves round the walls of her clay tenement, 
Runs to each avenue, and shrieks for help ; 
But shrieks in vain !" 

2. This preparation may now be made. You may be 
sensible of your wants now ; to-morrow the Spirit may 
have gone. You may enter now ; to-morrow the door may 
be shut. You have health and reason now ; to-morrow 
they may have left you. You know that the present mo- 
ment alone is yours for this great work. O ! how many 
die with a lie on their lips — how many with convictions ! 
But I may press the subject no longer. I feel for you, 
and would induce you to act. Well may I feel for you, 
with my belief — my Bible — my love for you — my frequent 
witnessing of the mortality of my race. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 161 



XXIV. 

Thus saith the Lord, Set thy house in order : for thou shalt 
DIE, AND not live. — Isaiah xxxviii, 1. 

For every event we need preparation. In the order 
of Providence times of preparation are afforded us, as the 
seasons of the year, and the different periods of life. 
Many of the failures in the enterprises of men may be 
attributed to a want of preparation. In proportion to the 
greatness of the event is preparation requisite. Death is 
the most important event connected with life, as it is the 
closing one, and one which immediately precedes that 
state of existence which is unalterable and eternal. I 
propose to consider the preparation which is necessary. 
And I would here remark, that I address those who be- 
lieve firmly in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection 
of the body, and a future state of rewards and punish- 
ments, as revealed in the Bible : these topics will be 
passed over, though they lie at the foundation of all I 
have to say. 

I. An assurance of our personal acceptance with God 
through Jesus Christ. 

The natural condition of man is enmity against God. 
Now when we consider the revealed character of God, 
we must admit that we are unprepared to meet him. We 
are to know also that should we appear before him in our 
state of enmity, we shall be clothed in sin and guilt, and 
have no excuse to make ; we are to know that God hates 
sin, and that there will be then nothing to prevent his 
wrath, our day of mercy having passed. We must feel 
that we are reconciled and renewed ; that we love God, 
and have Christ for our righteousness. Learn this from 
the death of sinners. Nor will faint hopes and evidences 
suffice. Death will fearfully try our strength, and we 



162 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWmNG. 

shall need the strongest proof to make us resigned and 
happy. Learn this from the death of unfaithful saints. 

II. An assurance that we have answered the great purpose 
of our earthly existence. 

The great object of life is to love God, and do his will. 
Whenever we have done, to the utmost, the will of God, 
we may say that the object of life is accomplished, and 
that we are prepared for heaven. Nor does it matter, in 
this view of life, whether it be long or short. 

" That life is long, which answers life's great end." 

Summerfield might have done all that God required of 
him ; would you have prevented his removal to a higher 
and holier sphere ? And who is willing to go down to 
the grave with the feeling that his life has been wasted — 
that nothing laudable has been done ? See the infidel at 
the moment of death abandon his unbelief! the impenitent 
commence repenting ! the unjust making restitution ! the 
careless begging his friend not to do as he has done ! the 
Christian asking forgiveness of his wife, children, and 
friends, for not having set them a better example — for not 
having warned them ! O death-beds, what tales ye tell ! 
Why all this ? Because conscience reproves — the duties 
of life have not been discharged — and the soul must thus 
go, or summon every effort for action. O ! what a task 
for any one, to accomplish life's great object in his dying 
strife ! Let me feel, when I shall come to die, that all 
has been done, for it will be quite enough for me to con- 
tend with death ! 

III. A Scriptural hope that Christ will he with us in our 
last hour. 

Death is a dark and billowy stream, through which man 
cannot safely pass alone. His friends can only stand on 
the bank. Nature fails as he descends and dips his foot. 
Who will hold up his head ? Who introduce him to the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 163 

group on the further shore ? None hut Christ, Remem- 
ber, too, that we must meet death under every natural 
disadvantage. Go into yonder sick chamber, and gaze 
upon that fragile form. Disease was long since commis- 
sioned by death to commence the fatal attack, and un- 
tiringly is it performing its allotted task. Already is every 
muscle relaxed, and every nerve unstrung. The whole 
system trembles like a tottering tower. That is the com- 
batant who is to enter the lists with the king of terrors ! 
Does he not labour under great disadvantages ? 

See that pallid countenance distorted with pain ! those 
heavy, sunken eyes, dejected by distress ! that emaciated 
body, convulsed with agony ! But ah ! that short, pant- 
ing breath tells the unequal contest, and the certain end. 
Exhausted nature, never so tired before, desires a mo- 
ment's respite. But those lifeless limbs, those cold, cold 
hands, assure us that death has already taken the out- 
posts, and with a hasty march is approaching the citadel 
of life. Thither the forces are collected for the last pain- 
ful struggle. 

The battle is renewed. Nature gathers all her re- 
sources, puts forth all her efforts ; but they are too weak 
for death ! The last blow is struck ! One protracted, 
fearful struggle, one convulsive spasm, one parting breath 
and dying gasp, and all is over ! Those big drops, which 
so thickly overspread that nerveless brow, proclaim death 
the conqueror of the body ! 

I very often anticipate this struggle, and with very pe- 
culiar feelings. I know it will be hard and desperate. 
This spirit will never leave its earthly tabernacle without 
a conflict. The last gasp — the last groan — the giving up 
of the ghost — who can describe them ? I wish to meet 
the struggle ! For were it left to me this afternoon to 
decide, whether I would go to heaven in a chariot of fire, 
like the prophet of old, or through the grave, like my Re- 



164 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

deemer, I would instantly say, Let me go through the 
grave. But O ! I cannot meet the king of terrors unless 
Christ be with me to take away his sting ! Through the 
grave I cannot go alone ! O no ! I must have the assu- 
rance that Christ will go with me. 

In conclusion ; I charge you, my hearers, not to neglect 
a preparation for death. " Thus saith the Lord, Set thy 
house in order : for thou shah die, and not liveT I do not 
know when you will die, and hence call upon you to pre- 
pare now. The uncertainty of death's approach is the 
strongest possible argument which I can urge to induce 
you to do so, and it is an argument which Christ has 
urged before me. " Watch therefore, for ye know neither 
the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." 
" Therefore be ye also ready : for in sivch an hour as ye 
think not, the Son of man cometh." O ! you will have 
but a poor time, if any time at all, to prepare then. Nor 
will a constant readiness for death unfit you for the duties 
and enjoyments of life ; it is your unfitness which makes 
you so often sad. Paul was happy when he could say, 
" For whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; and whe- 
ther we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live 
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." 



XXV. 



O SPARE ME, THAT I MAY RECOVER STRENGTH, BEFORE I GO HENCE, 

AND BE NO MORE. — Psalm xxxix, 13. 

It is natural to banish froni our minds the thought of 
death. Rarely do we stop to reflect how soon our days 
will be finished — to measure the distance which inter- 
venes between us and the grave. There is something 
repulsive to the unchanged heart in the thought of dying. 
Nor do I wonder, since death is penal. It tends to mar 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 165 

man's joys ; to retard his pursuit of pleasure, which is so 
soon to end — of honour, which is to lie unnoticed in the 
dust — of riches, of which he must soon be stripped. Men 
shun the paths which lead to the grave, and if Providence 
place their feet in them, how unhappy are they ; how 
eagerly do they seek an escape ! David, however, often 
dwelt on this subject with melancholy delight ; for he was 
a saint, and viewed death differently from sinners. His 
meditations gave rise to the beautiful expression in the 
text. It implies the consciousness, 

1. That he was fast travelling to the grave. 

That we must all die is an admitted fact. " We must 
needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which 
cannot be gathered up again." " There is no man that 
hath power over the spirit, to retain the spirit ; neither 
hath he power in the day of death ; and there is no dis- 
charge in that war." " What man is he that liveth, and 
shall not see death ?" None doubt that they shall make 
the grave their bed. Some, however, remove the time to 
a distance, and think not of the speed of their journey. 
But how fast are we travelling! " Swifter than^a post" 
— " swifter than a weaver's shuttle." Are we not forcibly 
reminded of this by the now closing year ? How long 
does it seem since it began ? What is our life at the 
longest ? *' It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little 
time, and then vanisheth away." How much of this va- 
pour has been exhaled ! How much of our time has 
gone ! Must we not be conscious that we are hastening 
to the grave ? Who can say he has completed but half 
of his journey ? Before another year shall have rolled 
round, he may have reached its end ! 

2. That having come to the grave ^ he should return to 
earth no more. 

That we shall return not again to earth is also admitted, 
now that the doctrine of transmigration is exploded. The 



166 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

grave is the end of life's journey ; death the stream over 
which we cannot repass. " As the cloud is consumed 
and vanisheth away ; so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his 
house, neither shall bis place know him any more." 
** When a few years are come, then I shall go the way 
whence I shall not return." These bodies are left here 
to return to dust, and to be the subjects of almighty power. 
At the resurrection, the soul is to be recalled to rejoin its 
companion, and ascend with it to the bar of God. This 
is an unpleasant thought to the sinner, for he has made 
this world his home. Upon it he has placed all his af- 
fections. He is unwilling, even in thought, to leave it, 
for he will not think of futurity ; he will be much more 
unwilling to leave it in person. He prefers earth to 
heaven, and would live here for ever. Heaven has no- 
thing to entice him, for he loves neither its inhabitants 
nor employments ; and he can carry nothing of earth with 
him but its guilt. How painful to him to think he can 
return no more ! But how pleasant to the saint ! '- The 
clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him." His journey 
was rough and toilsome, and now he is at rest. Would 
he retrace his steps 1 In this world he was a stranger, 
in heaven he is at home. Would he return ? Here he 
was despised and persecuted. " There the wicked cease 
from troubling." Here he was enticed to sin ; there he 
is allured to virtue. Blessed be God, we leave this world 
for ever ! 

3. That he had much preparation to make before he would 
be ready to die. 

Unless this were the fact, you may see from what has 
been said that he could net "have had a strong desire to 
live. The fact will also appear from the consideration 
that he had correct and glowing views of heaven. We, 
as Christians, have much preparation to make before we 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 167 

shall be ready. We must redeem time, correct errors, 
discharge social duties, and become holy. Who can say, 
" All these I have done ?" Some of you, my hearers, are 
unconverted. How great your work! Great though it 
be, it may be done quickly. I know you feel unprepared; 
you dare not die ! Were death to approach, how would 
you plead for life and beg for mercy ! 

4. The text implies a desire to live in order to prepare for 
death. 

To desire life is natural ; few are willing to die. Many 
wish to live for themselves alone ; not to prepare to die ; 
not to please God. They are wedded to the world, and 
would stay with their bride. They would live even in 
misery, because they are afraid of death, and its after- 
state. But all this is wrong. We should desire only to 
become holy, and to be useful to our friends and to the 
world. How few of us, in praying for life, are prompted 
by this motive ! W^e ask, too, for many long years. But 
who will have them 1 It becomes us to remember that 
our prayer may not be granted. Death is all around us ! 
How fearful his ravages the past year ! Of some of us 
God may say. They have been spared long enough — cut 
them down. Who will fall ? Others, for wise purposes, 
he may take home to himself. We are on death's roll ; 
are we prepared to have our names checked ? To the 
sinner death will be awful — to the saint, delightful. 



XXVI. 

Neither can they die any more. — Luke xx, 36. 

Christ is our greatest benefactor. He hath prepared 
heaven for us, opened to us the path which leads to it, 
and given us strength to walk therein. He hath done 



168 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

every thing to allure us thither. He is its King, and hath 
shown us his perfections. Who ever saw such wisdom, 
justice, and love, embodied in one person? Who can 
doubt that his kingdom is governed well ? Who, from the 
very character of the King, would not desire to dwell 
there ? Besides all this, he has given us the most glowing 
descriptions of heaven. Rev. vii, 16, 17. If he had said 
no more of its inhabitants than this, " Neither can they 
die any more," it would be enough to render a residence 
there desirable. This will appear evident from the fol- 
lowing considerations : — 

I. Death interrupts our pursuits. 

In whatever employment we may engage, we are cer- 
tain that we can continue it but for a little while. Hence 
we cannot look for that success which we might otherwise 
expect. We cannot lay very extensive plans, for we may 
not live to accomplish them. We engage in the business 
of life, but, when in successful operation, death overturns 
our tables — in study, but we can go only so far, and leave 
others to outstrip us. How sad this thought to the labo- 
rious student ! Death is so uncertain that w^e cannot pro- 
mise ourselves the next day. Where is encouragement 
then to effort ? We are cut down in the midst of our 
plans — on the threshold of business. We are arrested in 
the midst of our books — die on the eve of important dis- 
coveries. Death will not wait a moment for any man. 

The pursuits of heaven cannot be thus interrupted. 
With what pleasure, then, may we engage in them ! 
What extensive plans may we safely lay, for all eternity 
is before us ! Let me engage in study there, where death 
is unknown ! Let me lay my plans for seraphic wisdom 
there ! 

II. It deprives us of our possessions. 

However great or valuable, we must leave them at the 
grave. The man of business amasses wealth, but how is 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 169 

his happiness imbittered by the thought that he must 
leave it all ! We build houses and adorn them, but as 
we walk out to gaze upon them, we feel that we must 
leave them ! 

" Must I thus leave thee, Paradise 1 thus leave 
Thee, native soil, these happy v^alks and shades 1 
O unexpected stroke, worse than of death !" 

Not all we have can purchase one moment's delay ! But 
death comes nearer yet, and separates the soul from the 
body. He takes away the body to his dark den. It is 
his for a time to keep. 

But heaven's possessions are sure. Death cannot strip 
us of our riches, our harp, our crown, our robe ! Once 
ours, they are ours for ever ! Our bodies, too, renovated 
and immortal, are ours for ever ! 

III. It destroys our earthly pleasures. 

The very thought of death brings sadness over the 
countenance of the lover of pleasure. Hence it is always 
banished. How sad to think of pleasure's short duration ! 
What melancholy recklessness in the words, " Let us eat 
and drink ; for to-morrow we die !" But let death come 
near, with disease and pain, its instruments of destruction, 
and how soon does pleasure die ! Eye, ear, and taste, turn 
away and sicken at the thought ! " All is vanity and vexa- 
tion of spirit." 

But heaven's pleasures are eternal. Disease cannot 
unfit us for them — time cannot impair them — death can- 
not destroy them. Who would not enjoy immortal youth, 
eternal summer, perennial joys ? 

The exercise of the social affections is one of our 
greatest sources of pleasure. Hence we form circles of 
acquaintance, and are happy for a time, till death enters 
the ring, and it is broken. Where are many of our 
friends ? In the grave ! We doat on parents, children, 

8 



170 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

brothers, sisters ; but death claims them. Where is your 
father, your mother, your child ? In the grave ! We 
marry with the certainty that death will soon part us, and 
too soon does his hour come ! How much pleasure doth 
he destroy — how much misery produce ! Here " death 
reigns," and how many sighs and tears daily attest the 
universality and cruelty of his reign ! 

But in heaven there is no death and no separation. 
There friends meet, to part not again. There the families 
of the faithful unite, to be torn asunder no more. They 
are " ever with the Lord." Ask the forlorn, but Christian 
mourner, if the absence of death does not make heaven 
desirable ? 

IV. It removes us to an untried and unchanging state of 
existence. 

This renders it so dreadful to sinners. What is after 
death ? they ask — they fear. W^e like not untried scenes. 
That state is unchanging, and this renders hell so awful. 
But if we reach heaven, death can remove us no more, 
for we shall be at home. There will be no untried state 
to visit. We shall not be carried where there are 
changes from joy to sorrow, for joy is there unchanged 
for ever. 

How consoling these truths to the saint! Especially 
under the afflictions of life — when parting with friends — 
when wrestling with death. Christians, ye know the way 
to heaven ; O, press forward with alacrity and delight ! 
Shall we not meet there, when life's scenes are over, to 
die no more 1 

Unconverted friends, will you go with us ? The way 
is rough, but straight ; — thorny, but short. Who would a 
toilsome and a painful journey heed, to gain such a home ? 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 171 

XXVII. 

We shall be like him. — 1 John iii, 3. 

It is painful to the Christian to witness his own nume- 
rous imperfections. However great may be his attain- 
ments, he is still sensible of imperfections, and of the 
vast distance between him and Christ. He may say with 
Paul, " Not as though I had already attained, [the resur- 
rection state,] either were already perfect : but I follow 
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am 
apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not my- 
self to have apprehended : but this one thing I do, forget- 
ting those things which are behind, and reaching forth 
unto those things which are before, I press toward the 
mark for tj;ie prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
Jesus." And with David, " I shall be satisfied, when I 
awake, with thy likeness." It is also painful to behold 
the imperfections of our brethren ; we believe them Chris- 
tians, but O ! how many defects remain in them ! When, 
we ask, will they all be removed ? We rejoice to reflect, 
that the day is coming when a mighty change shall be 
wrought in the sons of God ! " We shall be like him.^^ 
This more perfect resemblance is reserved for the second 
coming of Christ. For our comfort we are permitted to 
look forward to it. 

I confess I am unable to give you a full view of this 
subject, because I am so ignorant of Christ. True, he 
appeared on earth, and exhibited traits of character such 
as the world never saw ; and from these I learn that he 
was kind, good, faithful, compassionate, and holy ; but 
how little do these reveal to me of Him ! All these were 
manifested through the body, and how much it may have 
diminished their effect, who knoweth ? Christ, too, ap- 
peared in his humiliation, not in his glory. In the trans- 



172 REMAINS OF REV. J, W. DOWNING. 

figuration, (Matt, xvii, Luke ix,) for a moment he was 
glorious. We may view him also as possessing the attri- 
butes of God. These he claims, and these he exhibited 
on earth. We are not, however, at liberty to infer that 
we shall be like him in this respect, for the attributes of 
God belong to God alone. They are the properties of 
the infinite — we are finite ; angels have them not. We 
may infer, however, that all our capacities are infinitely 
to enlarge in a moment — that we may know more than 
we ever could know here (1 Cor. xiii, 12) — and that we 
may increase in holiness eternally. I say increase, for 
we must first be holy in order to see the Lord. What, 
then, may we conceive is implied in being like Christ ? 
I answer, an entire freedom from all the effects and marks 
of sin. Let us carefully and devoutly dwell on this single 
idea. 

We have every reason to believe that sin has very 
materially affected our bodies. It has destroyed much of 
their beauty by diseases and the influence of the passions. 
The Saviour appeared on earth in a body like ours. But 
he has not this body now as it was on earth, for when he 
£^rose from the grave it was spiritual and glorious. It was 
no longer flesh and blood. 1 Cor. xv, 50. We shall be 
like the Saviour in this respect. Phil, iii, 21, and 1 Cor. 
XV, 49-53. All this implies that every mark of sin is to 
be for ever obliterated. We are to be perfectly beautiful. 
When we view the ravages of sin, and their completion 
in the grave, I know this seems surprising and impossible. 
Go with me to yonder grave-yard as the sun is slowly 
sinking in the western horizon. Pursue that long path so 
often watered by the mourner's tears, till you reach " the 
house appointed for all living." Spring back that heavy 
bolt, and turn upon its grating hinges that massive iron 
door. Descend those rough-hewn stones. O ! these se- 
pulchral damps tell fearfully of corruption ! Slowly and 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNINCf. 173 

reverently approach that solitary coffin, which shall not 
always lack its fellow. Upraise that mouldering lid — 

! awful sight ! — O ! ghastly death ! But be calm, my 
soul. Approach again, and take a nearer view. Those 
bones stand out in horrible relief; the flesh has long since 
seen corruption. Not a sign of life is there, except those 
crowds of thievish worms. And yet, but a few short 
months ago, she was among the fairest of ye all, and 
bowed as reverently at the altar of our God. O, what a 
change ! And can she be changed again ? Yes, glorious 
truth ! this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this 
mortal shall put on immortality, and we shall be changed ! 

1 Cor. XV. 

Would you know more respecting this interesting sub- 
ject, learn it from distinct passages of Scripture. We shall 
sit at God's right hand. Would you know the greatness of 
this privilege 1 The psalmist answers, " In thy presence 
is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures 
for evermore." The prophet Daniel says, " They that 
be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; 
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for 
ever and ever." Would you fully comprehend this exalted 
language, remember it was written in Chaldea, where 
astronomy was the noblest science, and the starry firma- 
ment the most glorious object upon which the eye of man 
could gaze. The apostle says, " There is laid up for me 
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but 
unto all them also that love his appearing." And what is 
its nature ? It " fadeth not away ;" eternity, as it revolv- 
eth, but addeth to its glory. The Saviour, after briefly 
rehearsing the solemn scenes of the judgment, and the 
awful events which will succeed them, says, " Then shall 
the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of 
their Father." What significaucy is there in this glowing 



174 REMAINS 01' R£V. J. W. DOWNING. 

figure ? What object, in reply, I ask you, is more glorious 
than yonder sun shining in the fulness of his strength ? 
So bright are his rays that as you fix your wandering gaze 
upon them, your vision fails, and you turn away dazzled 
and overpowered. And yet " shall the righteous shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." They 
are to be like Him who is the Sun of heaven itself ! 

Christ had no mark of sin on his mind and soul. Per- 
fect in both he ever was and is. He knew no sin. 2 Cor. 
V, 21. In this respect we shall be like him. This is plain 
from Rev. vii, 14 : " These are they which came out of 
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb." O flowing streams 
from Calvary, how unearthly your efficacy, Aus to heal 
the wounds, and remove the scars of sin ! O blood of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, how heavenly thy virtue, thus to 
cleanse us from all sin ! 

There may be diversity in our minds and feelings, but 
all will be lovely. Our fiery trial here shall burn up all 
sin, destroy all its marks, and melt away all dross. Alto- 
gether lovely He is, and we shall be. O how wonder- 
ful ! Angels, if they knew not, might never imagine we 
had been sinners, except from our song. I know it doth 
not seem possible, for " it doth not yet appear." But " in 
his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only 
Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." " Where- 
fore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be dili- 
gent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, 
and blameless." 

In conclusion : Do not say all this is mere conjecture. 
It is not ; it is plainly Scriptural and logical inference. 
If faithful, I shall see all this, and more than I can now 
conceive ; and shall be fully satisfied. 

1. We learn that heaven must be a place of unbounded 
felicity. What better society could be found ? There all 



REMAINS or REV. J. W. DOWNING. 175 

are beautiful in body, all lovely in soul. And then there 
are the angels, and the Lamb of God. Will good society 
render us happy in the most unpleasant places on earth ? 
Much more then in heaven. Rev. xxi, 4, and vii, 15-17. 

2. We see why Christians anticipate so much from 
meeting with friends in heaven. W^e admit that here they 
have natural traits of character which we dislike ; that we 
do not always feel happy in their society. But they will 
lose every thing that is unlovely at death, and so shall we. 
We would not live for ever with our friends as they now 
are, but we would when they are like Christ. Yes, dear 
brother, in heaven you will possess every thing which 
shall render your society delightful. 



XXVIII. 

We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things 
which are not seen i for the things which are seen are tem- 
poral ; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

2 Cor. iv, 18. 

Faith is the great peculiarity of the Christian system. 
It is necessary not only for the purposes of moral disci- 
pline, but also because almost every thing that renders 
Christianity desirable is unseen. God, the Redeemer, 
the Comforter, angels, and heaven, are unseen. Their 
invisibility, however, does not affect their reality, and 
should not affect our belief. Our minds and all their ope- 
rations are invisible, but our belief in them is none the 
less firm on this account. " The things which are not 
seen" are eternal; and does not this make amends for 
all ? What we see, however bright and beautiful, " ap- 
peareth but for a little time, and then vanisheth away." 
This fair earth, these glorious skies with all their starry 
hosts, are moving slowly and sublimely to the grave of 



176 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

nature. Turn then, O Christian, from the sight, and gaze 
on nobler scenes. In so doing it is your privilege to 
consider, 

1. Their nearness. We are prone to look at eternity as 
at an immeasurable distance — the rear ground in the pic- 
ture of human life, obscured by intervening objects. But 
God designed it should stand out in bold relief, for he has 
painted it vfixYi the brightest colours. What if you should 
live seventy years — eternity is close by ; compare seventy 
years with eternity, and see \\ow short the term is. But 
life is generally shorter than this, and is also uncertain. 
Death, the dividing stream, which you are approaching, 
is but a few steps wide. Eternity then is close at hand. 

2. Their unchangeahleness and eternal duration. Here 
we are so accustomed to change that we can hardly con- 
ceive of any thing as absolutely fixed. Our characters, 
pursuits, enjoyments, friends, are changing. There cha- 
racter changes not in kind, nor degenerates : how con- 
soling this to the saint! There he will never grow cold. 
There pursuits and enjoyments will be ever the same. 
There friends will be always with us, and ever loving us. 
Besides the unchangeahleness of unseen things, consider 
their eternal duration. If not eternal they would be of 
little worth, and sighs would form the chorus of every 
song. But they are eternal ! I cannot describe eternity — 
it is a separate state of existence — it knows no multipli- 
cation of time. 

3. Their power of conferring happiness. There would 
be little joy in reflecting on the particulars already named, 
without this. Sinners take no delioht in reflectinor on 
unseen things, for they can expect no happiness from 
them. But it is their power of conferring happiness, 
which renders them delightful subjects of reflection to the 
Christian. This made them so dear to Paul. All things 
in the eternal world will make us perfectly happy. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 17t 

But why should we look at unseen things ? 

1 . That our thoughts and ajfcctions may he detached from 
earth. We " are of the earth, earthy." How much our 
thoughts are engrossed with its objects and pursuits! 
How much time do we devote to them ! How often do 
they intrude into the sanctuary, and steal into the closet ! 
With what a deadly grasp do our affections cling to them ! 
Let our property be taken from us, and how we murmur 
and grieve ; — our friends, and how we mourn and weep ! 
But we are soon to become spiritual beings, conversant 
only with spiritual objects. How necessary that our 
thoughts and affections become so likewise ! What will 
make them so but constantly looking at unseen things ? 
How can \\e love earth less, but by loving heaven 
more ? 

2. Tliat lue may he encouraged to persevere in the path 
of duty, W^e are apt to faint, our trials are so great — to 
despond, our afflictions are so numerous — to despair, our 
foes are so hostile, and our battles so many. Heaven in 
prospect will animate us. It will make afflictions seem 
light and transient — toils easy — dangers small. The last 
is coming. How is the weary traveller invigorated by 
the sight of home ! The warrior when the drum beats the 
last alarm ! W^hat deeds of valour will he perform ! And 
who in the Christian warfare would shrink back when 
the shout of victory will so soon be heard, and eternity be 
our home ? Eternal rest and deliverance ! This supported 
Moses, and Paul, and the martyrs. 

3. That we may he prepared for their enjoyment. For all 
this joy we w^ere made. We must prepare for it by look- 
ing at it. The more we look, the more we shall love — 
the more we love, the more we shall strive. Could you 
now join in the heavenly song ? Should heaven break in 
upon you now, would you not be frightened ? Alas ! have 
we not looked too much at earth, and too little at heaven ? 

8* 



178 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

And shall we not amend ? O let not eternity at last sur- 
prise us unprepared ! 

The mariner, as he thinks he nears the shore, sends 
one aloft, not to gaze at the water or the sky, but to look 
for land. So the Christian should keep faith upon the 
watch, to look not around, but beyond him ; and soon the 
lofty cliffs, and bold promontories of " the better land" 
will heave in view. 



XXIX. 



Some trust in chariots, and some in horses : but we will re- 
member THE NAME OF THE LoRD OUR GoD. Psalm XX, 7. 

Civil liberty is the greatest of national blessings. 
Like all other blessings, it is the gift of God, purchased 
by Christ, and obtained and perpetuated by human means. 
In the attainment of ours, the hand of God was clearly 
seen in the raising up of men to guide our counsels, and 
command our armies — in affording us foreign aid when 
our cause grew desperate — and in rendering foolish the 
plans of our enemies. In reverting to the past, as Chris- 
tians, " we will remember the name of the Lord our God." 
In looking to the future, our hope and trust must still be 
in " the name of the Lord our God ;" for he alone can 
secure to us the blessings of civil liberty. This appears 
evident from two considerations : — 

I. All other means have failed to preserve the liberties of 
nations. 

It becomes us to remember the fact, that no nation 
which has not worshipped God has, for a long time, been 
free. Greece and Rome were republics but in name, and 

* A Thanksgiving sermon. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 179 

the people ruled only through demagogues. From this 
fact it has been doubted by many whether republics can 
be permanent. Our nation is to decide the question ; and 
if she forget God, her decision will but strengthen the 
chains of despotism. 

1. Wealth cannot perpetuate civil liberty. It may for- 
tify cities, muster armies, and create navies, but it cannot 
give them efficiency. Rome possessed it, and it was 
the tyrant that destroyed her. The natural tendency of 
wealth is to produce luxury, increase effeminacy, and 
create licentiousness. All these are deadly foes to liberty. 
Wealth creates aristocracy, which can exist in the bosom 
of no republic with safety. A moneyed aristocracy is now 
more fearful and more powerful than one of rank. 

2. Power cannot preserve liberty. Power ungoverned 
is an enemy to law, the basis of liberty. It leads to in- 
surrection and revolt. Mobs have shown this in our land. 
Power without union affords no means of defence against 
foes. Like a machine from which the balance-wheel is 
removed, it is destructive. But union, permanent and 
effective, is the result only of virtue derived from God. 

3. Knowledge is said to be the great thing necessary 
for the preservation of liberty. Knowledge alone, how- 
ever, has no such preserving power. Greece and Rome 
proved this long ago ; and France, in later times, has 
added her mournful testimony. 

II. Revelation alone contains the basis of civil liberty. 

The Bible is the great text-book which should be care- 
fully studied by every statesman, that he may be instructed 
in the true principles of government : for, 

1. It alone reveals the law of reciprocity, which is the 
basis of all liberty. It regulates the love which we should 
feel toward man, and the actions which we should per- 
form, as well as the desires of our own hearts. Would 
all obey it, all would be free, though not independent of 



180 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

each other. This law can be found nowhere else. The 
volume of nature does not contain it. 

2. It contains the principles, and promotes the spirit 
of that union which is necessary to liberty. It shows the 
relation which we all sustain to God, and to each other, 
and thus leads to equality of feeling. It binds men to- 
gether by similarity of views and interests. It strength- 
ens the bonds by acts of kindness and reciprocity. 

3. It alone affords motives sufficient to induce man to 
obey the law of reciprocity. Natural affection would 
prompt him to act upon it only toward his personal 
friends. Thus each family circle would consider itself 
the regency for all the world, and would be disposed to 
tyrannize over all the world. Selfishness would induce 
him to love his fellow-men only so far as might appear for 
his own good ; and where he might not perceive how his 
own good would be thus promoted, it would lead him to 
disregard the welfare of others ; it would even prompt 
him to cast off the restraints of society, and annul its 
laws, whenever they might seem opposed to his interest. 
There are no human motives sufficient to curb our pas- 
sions, or regulate our actions. Nothing but the retribu- 
tions of eternity, as revealed in the Bible, can lead men 
to act right toward each other, and toward God. 

4. It alone secures means for the promulgation of its 
principles. Had it been left to man, the Bible would not 
now be known ; the great charter of liberty would have 
long since been lost. It secures the means, however, for 
he promulgation of its principles, 1. By commissioning 
men to be teachers thereof. Were there no Bible, there 
would be no preachers, and no basis for lessons of mo- 
rality and religion. But by these the fires of liberty are 
kept alive. 2. By giving its teachers, through its pro- 
mises of aid, success, and everlasting life, the necessary 
moral courage. 



REMAINS or REV. J. W. DOWNING. 181 

Civil liberty is continued to us by God. Let us grate- 
fully acknowledge his name. Let us trust in it alone, in 
the use of means, for the future. Let us show our grati- 
tude by obeying his word, and disseminating its principles. 



XXX.* 

I BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY. Luko ii, 10. 

The advent of Christ is the most remarkable event 
which our world has ever witnessed. It had seen philo- 
sophers who discovered its laws, laid open its bosom, and 
revealed its secrets to the astonishment of mortals — poets 
who described its scenery in glowing language — warriors 
who waded through blood to conquest — but never before 
had it seen God manifested in the flesh. It had beheld 
embassies from conquerors to rebel nations, but never had 
it seen the Lord coming to his creatures — the King of 
heaven to worms of the dust — the Sovereign of the uni- 
verse to rebellious mortals! The object for which he 
came rendered the event still more remarkable. To be 
humbled, that w^e might be exalted ; to suffer, that we 
might be happy ; to die, that we might live ; to subdue 
the world, not by arms, but by love ; to revolutionize it, 
not by warlike armies, but by peaceful principles. Is it 
not the most remarkable event which the universe has 
witnessed ? Was not heaven astonished ? If ever an event 
called for the appearance of angels, and the display of 
God's glory, it was this. Nor were they withheld. And 
to calm the fears of the affrighted shepherds, the angel 
said, " I bring you good tidings of great joy." Are not 
the words true ? Let us consider the effects of the advent 
of Christ, 

* A Christmas sermon. 



182 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

I. On man's temporal condition. 

The history of the world up to the advent exhibits a 
picture of mutability variegated by cruelty, coloured with 
blood. One nation, by adventure and Avar, gradually 
emerged from obscurity, gained the ascendency over 
others, and made progress in improvement, till, unnerved 
by sin, it was conquered and enslaved. Another then in 
the same way rose and fell. Thus men were alternately 
masters and slaves. Thus was it with Egypt, once re- 
nowned ; thus with Greece, now living only in story. 
Hence there was nothing to soften man's barbarity — no 
proper time for improvement, for the formation of domes- 
tic institutions — no time except for self-preservation and 
protection. There was no ground to hope for better times. 
Christ came to do away oppression and war, to reveal and 
establish domestic institutions, and thus give man time to 
improve his condition. Wherever the gospel has gone, 
it has done this partially. It will do it w^hoUy and uni- 
versally. The time will come when *^ nation shall not lift 
up a sword against nation," &c. Micah iv, 3, 4. "They 
stall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for 
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
the waters cover the sea." 

II. On his moral condition. 

Before the advent this was deplorable. Our world was 
deep in sin. Men knew not God, knew not the attributes 
which he should possess. Their moral codes were de- 
fective and bad. The most abominable vices were ap- 
proved. There was no hope for improvement ; the tend- 
ency of man is to grow worse ; the world did so. Moral 
principles could not be settled for want of knowledge ; 
nor promulgated for want of authority. What could the 
despairing man do ? Judea's light was exclusive ; worse 
than this, it was going out ! But here Christ interposed. 
He came to enlighten not merely Judea, but the world ; 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 183 

to show US God — our relation to him — to each other — our 
duties ; and to afford means, authority, and motives, for 
the dissemination of this knowledge. How have morals 
improved since ? Through its influence pagan philosophy- 
was overthrown, heathenism routed. Every other system 
of morals is declining, and the gospel advancing ! " The 
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see 
it together." " The earth shall be full of the knowledge 
of the Lord." " Behold, I create new heavens and a new 
earth." " The kingdoms of this world are become the 
kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall 
reign for ever and ever." " Alleluia : for the Lord God 
omnipotent reigneth." 

III. On his everlasting destiny. 

Thick darkness respecting this hung over the Gentile 
world. None had pierced it, or could do so. Many 
doubted the immortality of the soul. How distressing 
that doubt which conflicted with the instinctive desire for 
immortality! The heaven of the wise was sensual and 
unsatisfying. It was exclusive — for the great alone. O 
my soul, how awful must have been the condition of the 
common man tormented by conscience, desire, doubt, and 
fear! Christ came, and brought to light our immortality — 
our resurrection — and heaven, in its nature, and its terms 
of admission. He came to allure us thither by his love 
and grace : how important this, when we consider our 
sinfulness ! Who could reach heaven without such aid, 
even if he knew the way? You could not soar to glory 
without it ! Is it not " good tidings of great joy ?" What 
is time to eternity? What the worth of the soul? Learn 
from its nature, destiny, and redemption ! 

I have no language to tell the value of Christ's advent. 
No, nor ever shall have, in heaven ; it will ever be untold ! 
Go to the mourner bending over the grave ; say to her, 
*' The soul is in heaven ; you may see it there, perfectly 



184 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

happy ; the body itself shall be raised in beauty ;" and 
ask, Is it not " good tidings of great joy ?" Ask the hea- 
then, who faints beneath life's load, as you point him to a 
bright world of rest and of eternal joy. Ask the dying 
saint. Tell him he is leaving a world of sin, is suffering 
his last pain, hafling his last enemy — and as you see him 
die, and hear him shout, this is his response, " Glory !" 

Who of us will not receive these tidings with great 
joy 1 To us they have come — come too with the view of 
their effects. Can you help crying out for joy ? If so, 
will not the stones cry out against you ? You will never 
again hear such tidings. Better than news that the 
world is yours — for it says heaven may be yours. Can 
you shut your ears against it ? O we would not believe 
it, if men's actions did not constrain us so to do ! 

Shall we not love Christ with all our hearts ? Who 
hath done so much for us — sacrificed so much for us? 
Who loves us so well as He, and who so lovely, who so 
worthv to be loved 1 O hard must be that heart which 
will not beat with affection for Christ ! Cold that bosom, 
which will not be warmed by a dying Saviour's love ! 



XXXL* 



With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you 

BEFORE I SUFFER. Lukc Xxii, 15. 

There is peculiar beauty in many of the expressions 
of the Saviour. They indicate a soul full of tender emo- 
tions, and anxious to communicate blessings to others. 
Finer specimens of tenderness and love cannot be found 
than his parting conversations and interviews with his 
disciples previous to his crucifixion. *^ Let not your heart 
be troubled," &c., John xiv. Beautiful were the dying 
* A sacramental sermon. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 185 

words of Socrates, and consoling to his friends his con- 
jectures of immortality ; but infinitely more sweet and 
consoling were the words of Christ ; there is an air of 
imearthliness about them, unlike the words of our dying 
friends. In him all human affections were exactly 
balanced, while heavenly love w^as the mistress of the 
whole. " He spake as never man spake." 

He desired to eat this passover with his disciples, 
because, 

1. It was the last time. Long since has it been ob- 
served, that human beings prize many things from the 
fact that they are the last. Thus the missionary, who is 
about to expatriate himself, visits the home and scenes of 
his youth, and all seem to him invested with new charms ; 
fields and woods are parting friends. So the dying man 
asks to be seated at the table once more before he dies, 
and to him and his it is a scene of deep and mournful 
interest, for it is the last. So we revert to the last con- 
versation with our departed friends, with all its mournful 
scenes, and we carry their remembrance through the 
walks of life. Christ had many times sat with his dis- 
ciples around the social board — had seen their homely 
fare — known their sorrows ; — ^but now the last time had 
come. He had all the sinless feelings of a man, and 
could not but be affected ; memory, association, and ima- 
gination, operated in him to make it solemn. What 
would become of that family in their wanderings without 
its father — that band without its captain ! 

2. It teas also the last time the passover itself could he 
appropriately celebrated. There is in us all a veneration 
for ancient rites and ceremonies, especially if instituted 
by high authority, and in commemoration of great events. 
Hence the festive days of pagans — their games, &;c. 
Hence the celebration of the fourth of July, which will 
continue while our liberty remains. The passover was 



186 REiVIAINS OF REV. J. AV. DOWNING. 

very ancient — was instituted with great solemnity — by the 
highest authority — in commemoration of the greatest 
event connected with Jewish history — to prefigure the 
greatest event connected with the history of the world. 
Solemn must it have been to know it was now to cease 
for ever. No father, in after time, would receive the 
smiles of Heaven as he should slay the lamb ! 

3. It was the appointed time for the institution of the 
most affecting ordinance of Christianity. The hour was 
fast approaching when Christ was to be crucified — -the 
plan of his betrayal and capture was laid — the price of 
blood agreed upon. Their rite was the type of the cruci- 
fixion ; and must it not have brought it all to his mind ? 
Must there not have been struggles at the thought of so 
much suffering ? But moments were precious ; before 
another meal all would be finished. This event was now 
to be imbodied in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. 
'Tis done ; the bread and wine are emblems of his death. 
How would you feel to see your coiRn ? But how high 
must infinite love have swelled his bosom ? " Given for 
you r How sweet the thought that it was to be kept in 
memory through all time — ^to soften and cheer the hearts 
of all saints who should celebrate it — to be the memorial 
of love to the universe — to cheer the bed of death ! The 
holy raptures of saints on earth and in heaven were the 
picture which Christ saw. 

Peculiar must be the feelings of every saint who con- 
templates this ordinance. If he have enlarged views of 
religion, as the time of its celebration draws nigh, he will 
desire to eat this passover, 

1 . That he may give the token and pledge of his love to 
the universal church. Those places are honoured and 
courted by us which have been the scenes of great 
events, and of the frequent visitation of the wise and 
good. As we visit them, we are inspired by the noble 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 187 

feelings to which the events give rise, and hold communion 
with those who have had similar feelings. Hence Ply- 
mouth, and Palestine, are visited with interest. The 
communion table is the commemorating scene of an 
event which eclipses all others ; it brings to mind the 
• garden and the cross, with all their melting scenes, and 
also the object and blessings which they secured, 

*' These sacred signs thy sufferings, Lord, 
To our remembrance bring." 

It has been visited by the great and good for eighteen 
hundred years. The highest saints in heaven bowed 
lowest here. We mingle in the scene and visit the place, 
as a token of fellowship with saints on earth and in hea- 
ven, and as the pledge of relationship and love to them. 
Who would not thus ally himself to the church below, 
above 1 

2. That he may manifest his love to Christ, and his entire 
depeiidance on his sacrificial death. It was in memory of 
Him who loved you unto death — who purchased for you 
every temporal and spiritual favour — who is your all in 
health and sickness — in prosperity and adversity — in time 
and eternity, that this rite was instituted. W^ho that loves 
the Saviour, realizes his favours, and is grateful, will not 
commemorate his death ? 

3. Because it may he the last time. We shall not be 
called to suffer as did Christ, neither in manner, nor for 
the same object. But we must die ; and in view of the 
pains, agonies, and partings at death, we may justly call it 
the hour of suffering. It is possible, nay probable, some 
of us may reach that hour before another sacramental 
season ! We should act in view of this probability. How 
would you look forward to this season, if sure it were the 
last ? Fathers in Israel, what emotions would throb your 
breasts ? How busy would be your memory, how warm 
yoxir love, how tender your hearts ! It would be a parting 



188 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

scene ! How active would be your faith ! " I am going 
to heaven to see my Jesus — to sit at his table. Shall I 
see you there ?" 

But I must stop ; the time has come to gather round 
the table. Jesus waits to feast you now. Blessed thought ! 
Are you not eager to come that you may give the token 
of love to the universal church — that you may manifest 
your love to Christ, and your entire dependance on his 
sacrificial death — feeling, too, that it may be the last 
time ? 



XXXIL* 

He that winneth souls is wise. — Prov. xi, 30. 



The world is estranged from God and joined to Satan. 
The gospel proposes to bring man back from Satan to 
God. The means which it authorizes for the accomplish- 
ment of this great object are moral means only — argument 
and expostulation. Hence the true preaching of the gos- 
pel is not a compulsory, but a winning process. When 
you consider the infinite importance of the object, the 
nature of the work, and its consequences, you will readily 
admit that he who would win souls must obtain wisdom 
as a prerequisite. 

As Christians, we all admit that the minister must 
possess wisdom in its highest sense ; that is, sound and 
ardent piety. Upon this in a great degree depend the 
correctness of his doctrines, and the purity of his life ; 
without this he cannot expect the aid of the Spirit, Avhich 
alone can render his preaching instrumental in the salva- 
tion of men. At the present day, however, something 
more than piety is necessary. The gift of tongues has 

* Preached on behalf of the New-England Wesleyan Education Society. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 189 

ceased, the power of working miracles has been suspend- 
ed, and plenary inspiration has been withdrawn ; the 
Spirit will not supply the place of these, while Providence 
opens the way for the attainment of other powers which 
may be equally serviceable. We are not placed in the 
line of prophets and apostles, and of course are not to go 
forward as they did, without human preparation, relying 
on divine aid alone to furnish us with thoughts, argu- 
ments, and illustrations. He must be either ignorant, 
fanatical, or presumptuous, who would advise such a 
course. Smooth stones from the brook of learninor thrown 
with skill, the Spirit will make efficacious in the destruc- 
tion of error. In addition to piety, then, the minister 
needs a good education, in order to preach so as, 

1. To interest,' You must all have noticed that men 
look much to style and manner. It is so in lecture-rooms, 
and public assemblies generally. It is not enough that 
the speaker have just ideas and good thoughts ; these 
must be well clothed, and well communicated ; he must 
either charm or awe, else he is neglected. If this be 
necessary in the discussion of subjects to which men are 
not averse, it must be more so in the discussion of those 
subjects for which they have an aversion, as they have 
for the subject of experimental religion. Whence the 
popularity of Whitefield and Summerfield? They had 
something more than piety. Churches now understand 
this in settling their ministers. They have learned from 
the advocates of error the power of style and eloquence to 
gather and retain assemblies. Error has spread by em- 
ploying the weapons of language, and thus truth must 
spread. The reason is, you were made intellectual be- 
ings, and as such must be affected by style and eloquence. 

2. To instruct. The mere readino- of the Bible does 
not answer the purposes of preaching, else you would 
need only pastors. It must be explained and enforced : 



190 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNIXa'. 

in order to this the minister must know enough to teach. 
He must be acquainted with, 

1. The nature and power of language. You do not 
understand men sometimes because they do not use proper 
lanoruaore. Thousands of controversies have arisen about 
mere words. To acquire this knowledge is no small 
task. 

2. Biblical literature. He must understand the customs 
of those who lived at the time the Scriptures were writ- 
ten. The languages also in w^hich they were written must 
be known by many, else the Bible would be, as it were, a 
sealed book. Controverted points demand this knowledge 
of the original languages ; and are not the most important 
points now controverted ? 

3. Illustrations and analogies. These are needed to 
explain truth — to show how Christianity is in harmony 
with creation and providence. They are drawn from the 
arts, sciences, history, &c. ; but who can use them unless 
he have them at command ? And how can he command 
them unless educated ? 

4. The evidences of Christianity. These are now called 
in question, for this is an infidel age. New theories are 
introduced, and new discoveries open the way for the 
skeptic to wrangle. The minister must be prepared to 
defend and to overthrow. You eocpect in him this prepa- 
ration, and you know that he must become prepared by 
study. 

5. The power of reasoning. This requires knowledge 
as the data, and a disciplined mind as the instrument ; 
the more of both the better. But the mind can be disci- 
plined only by study ; and who can instruct without know- 
ledge ? What is empty declamation 1 It is truth, its 
evidences, claims, and consequences, which we need to 
exhibit, and these the Spirit enforces. , 

We call on you to favour the object of this society with 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 191 

your prayers and your money. Men are required to go 
forth and preach, and God requires you to fit them. On 
you the responsibility rests of supplying the world with 
efficient men. Will you do it ? In lending your aid to 
our cause you will walk in the steps of Wesley, carry 
on the design of Methodism, and promote the cause of 
God. 

What will you do ? How much are souls worth ? How 
much did Christ sacrifice for you ? What answer then will 
vou make? 



XXXIII 



Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that 
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing t3e word op truth. 
—2 Tim. ii, 15. 

The great design of the gospel is to bring back this 
revolted world to allegiance to God, and, by the atone- 
ment and its consequent benefits, to raise men to heaven. 
All this, however, is to be done by means ; this is God's 
economy. Hence he sent forth apostles and others to 
preach the gospel, designing that this system of means 
should continue to the end of time. To ministers, as was 
necessary, he hath given instruction relative to their great 
work. The text is that divine- instruction given by Paul, 
just before his decease, to Timothy. Let us consider its 
import. 

I. Ministers should seek the approhation of God alone. 

It is natural to seek the approbation of our fellow-men ; 
love of praise is one great impulse to effort. Ministers 
have peculiar temptations to indulge this passion, in order 
to collect large congregations, ensure popularity, and a 
handsome support. Hence the need of the text. They 



192 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

must value " the praise of men" only when it is given to 
their consistency and piety, and then only as a means of 
doing good. The reasonableness of this appears from the 
following facts : — 

1. The approbation of men is given to sin. The state 
of the world shows this ; did not men approve of sin, they 
would not practise it. Christ was perfect virtue personi- 
fied ; but men crucified him. Human nature, though 
almost deified by many, is the same now. " The carnal 
mind is enmity against God." Hence ministers should 
not seek human applause. 

2. Ministers are God's ambassadors. " Now then we 
are ambassadors for Christ." They receive their mes- 
sage from him, are bound to obey implicitly his orders, 
and to seek his glory. As ministers, they are accountable 
to him alone. They are to be recalled soon to render to 
him their commission, and from him receive their reward. 
Hence they are to seek his favour only. 

3. The success of their embassy depends entirely on 
his approbation. He alone can give them strength, in- 
struction, and the Holy Spirit ; and these he will not give 
unless he approve. Without these all their efforts must 
be fruitless. " Without me ye can do nothing." 

The approbation of their Master must be their constant 
aim in all their studies, visits, sermons, &c. To secure 
it they must exert themselves to the utmost. 

n. They should he workmen that need not he ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. 

In order to this two things are indispensable. 

1. A theoretical and experimental acquaintance with 
the subject of their embassy. Hence they should study 
the Bible with prayer and diligence, and should also avail 
themselves of all aids to this study, as far as their means 
permit. They should be experimentally acquainted with 
the nature of repentance, faith, and Christian experience. 



REMALKS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 193 

2. A life in accordance with the gospel. Ministers 
should be examples to others, and thus show the possi- 
bility of carrying the theory of religion into practice. 
They, like others, are liable to sin ; but the gospel can be 
obeyed, and they are to prove it by their lives. 

" Rightly dividing the word of truths As a labourer, 
the minister is to apply the principles of the gospel to all 
the minutiae of life, public, social, and private. He is to 
give to every man his portion in due season. To the 
Christian he must give instruction, advice, reproof, com- 
fort, and encouragement, such as are adapted to his wants, 
and at the time they are needed. Hence the necessity 
of ascertaining his wants by conversation and watchful 
observation. 

To the sinner he must exhibit both the terrors of the 
law and the offers of the gospel. 

To the penitent he must show the way of reconciliation, 
and the promises of God, and thus lead him to Christ. 

To the hypocrite he must declare that his hope will 
perish, and that without repentance he will be lost for ever. 

The apostate he must urge to return to God, on pain of 
eternal banishment from his presence. 

The minister has duties to discharge to the whole commu^ 
nity. His field is the world. He must watch the signs 
of the times — learn what are the prevailing sins — show 
their nature, their consequences, and the remedy in the 
gospel. The community may frown and persecute ; he 
may leave them as did Christ's disciples, but while he 
remains he must rightly divide the word of truth. 

He must do this with a right spirit. No wrath of his 
must be mixed with his preaching. He must be bold as 
an ambassador, but kind ; fearless, but affectionate. He 
must trust in the protection of his Master. " Lo, I am 
with you always, even unto the end of the world." Christ 
will provide friends, and through them food and raiment. 

9 



V 



194 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

He must do this with right motives. Love to God and 
man, and nothing else, must enlist him in the war, and 
prompt to every effort. Unless he have this he is defi- 
cient, whatever else he may have. 

Thus did Paul rightly divide the word of truth. Hence 
he could say, " Seeing we have this ministry, as we have 
received mercy, we faint not ; but have renounced the 
hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor 
handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation 
of the truth commending ourselves to every man's con- 
science in the sight of God." Also 2 Cor. i, 12; 2 Tim. 
iv, 6-8. Hence his success. God will crown with simi- 
lar success everyone that studieth to show himself approved 
unto him, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 
dividing the word of truth. How carefully and persever- 
ingly should we then labour ! God help me to make full 
proof of my ministry ! And " not unto us, O Lord, not 
unto us, but unto thy name give glory." 



XXXIV. 

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another. — Rom. xiii, 8. 

The gospel is not only a revelation of God's love to- 
ward us, but also of his will concerning us. Hence it 
prescribes the duties which we owe to him and to each 
other. It lays down rules for the regulation of our con- 
duct in all our various relations. 

As a code of morals, it far excels all other codes which 
the world has seen. It is comprehensive, minute, just, 
and holy. If men would obey it, they would be happy. 
The morals of the gospel are inseparably connected with 
its doctrines ; the duty of ministers is to explain the latter, 
and enforce the former. I propose, therefore, to enforce 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 195 

this divine moral precept, " Owe no man any thing, but to 
love one another." 

I. Owe no man property or money. 

Such is our dependance on each other, and such the 
nature and condition of society, that an exchange of 
commodities is absolutely requisite to our subsistence and 
happiness. This exchange is effected either by barter 
or sale. In both Ccises we receive one article in return 
for its equivalent. Our text requires that we should ren- 
der the stipulated equivalent when, according to the con- 
dition of the contract, it becomes due. Refusing so to 
do is a breach of morality. It is the creditor's right of 
which we deprive him ; it is his property which, contrary 
to our implied, if not expressed promise, and contrary to 
his wishes, we keep in our possession. What is it then, 
in fact, but lying and stealing, provided we are able to 
pay? 

So with outlawed debts. The law of limitation was 
made to lead men to settle their accounts and to prevent 
litigation ; not to release the debtor. Is it not enough to 
keep me from my property for years, without using this 
law as a pretext to wrong me out of it for ever ? You are 
discharged in a civil, but not in a moral view. Having 
my property for six years does not prove that you never 
had it, or do not owe me. 

So in cases of insolvency, where you have paid perhaps 
twenty-five or fifty per cent., and have afterward become 
rich. Your creditors took that proportion from necessity, 
not from choice — not as an equivalent, but as all they 
could get. You will not be clear of debt in Heaven's 
sight until you shall have tendered full payment, if at any 
time able to do so. 

So with subscriptions for periodicals, and for the sup- 
port of public institutions, whether benevolent or religious. 
You niake the promise, and receive the equivalent ; you 



196 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

are consequently as much bound to fulfilyour promise as 
you are to pay the bills of your grocer. " But what if I 
am unable ?" Did you become so by extravagance or 
affliction ? Tell your story simply, and do all you can* 

II. Owe no man ill-will. 

If a man injures us, we retaliate at the time, or lay it 
up against him ; it is very natural to seek and improve 
occasions to pay him. We are not required to give him 
an opportunity to injure us again, nor to think as well of 
him as before ; for we cannot shut our eyes to what we 
have seen. We are not to put a viper to our bosoms 
after he has bitten us. Yet we must not avenge ourselves 
on any man who has injured us, nor harbour ill-will 
against him ; but we must forgive and love him. This 
we can do. Matt, vi, 12 ; Luke xi, 4 ; Matt, xviii, 21, 22 ; 
Matt. V, 44 ; Rom. xii, 20, 21. 

III. We owe any man confession and reparation, if we 
have injured his feelings or character. 

Duty requires us to warn and reprove men, but we must 
do it kindly, and they ought not to feel injured ; but if we 
wantonly or carelessly, by deed or word, trifle with their 
feelings, the least we can do is to make confession. This 
is the only noble part ; the golden rule requires it. Duty 
may call on us to expose a man's sins ; but if we wan- 
tonly slander him by insinuations, exaggerations, false or 
partial statements, we must make all possible reparation 
immediately. This rule holds in regard to property; 
(even Judas made restitution ;) why not in regard to 
character 1 " As ye would that men should do to you, do 
ye also to them likewise." 

* The practice of contracting debt, without a reasonable prospect of 
being able to make payment, might have appropriately been introduced 
in this connection. It is, unhappily, too common a practice, even 
among those who profess to be governed by the precepts of the gospel ; 
one of which is," Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." — Ep. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 197 

** Who steals my purse, steals trash ; — 
But he that filches from me my good name, 
Robs me of that which not emriches hun. 
And makes me poor indeed.'* 

IV. You owe every man a debt of love. 

How much ? As much as you have for yourself. This 
you owe every day, and daily must you make payment. 
How ? By benevolence and acts of charity according to 
your means ; by exhortation, good example, and prayer. 
Do you try to pay your relatives, friends, and neighbours ? 
your enemies, strangers, and the world ? 

Perhaps you may think I delight in preaching what are 
called " plain sermons ;" that of late I dwell only upon 
the severer parts of the gospel. I do it because I am 
interested for you. I speak it not boastingly, for I am 
bound to be so ; and after all that I have done — all that I 
can yet do — I shall still be as I now am, in the sight of 
my Master, only an unprofitable servant. That I am in- 
terested for you, I appeal to my closet, my study, this 
pulpit, and my private and public life. I appeal to my 
waking hours and to my sleeping moments. But yester- 
night in troubled dreams was I walking your aisles, en- 
tering your pews, and begging you to repent ! But O, the 
sequel! — with a careless, heartless smile you repulsed 



me 



I beseech you, try to obey the precept of the text, for 
your own sakes, for the sake of your friends, for the sake 
of the church. Do not be a reproach and a curse ! But 
you cannot obey it without divine assistance. You can 
have this, if you will accept it. May God help you ! 



198 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

XXXV. 

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. — Gal. vi, 7. 

The law of cause and effect is universal. By this law 
I mean the necessary connection and order which exist 
between events as antecedents and consequents. This 
connection and order are of divine appointment, and will 
continue till the world shall be destroyed. Were there 
BO connection between cause and effect, we should have 
no incentive to exertion ; through ignorance we should be 
unable to take care of ourselves. 

I. This law exists in morals. 

Men are slow to admit this position, because in morals 
the connection between cause and effect is not always 
clearly seen ; as in cases of concealed murder. The 
effect also is long delayed ; and " because sentence 
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore 
the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do 
evil." But there are plain reasons for this delay ; this 
is a dispensation of mercy, not of justice ; a probationary 
state, and hence there is a necessary, though partial and 
temporary, suspension of the effect ; it is the seed-time, 
not the harvest. Be not deceived, however, these things 
will be adjusted soon. The connection is plain enough 
to be seen now to some extent, and its apparent imperfec- 
tion should awaken fear, rather than lull to repose. It is 
as the fighting-chariot in the clouds before the destruction 
of Jerusalem. I cannot here enter into an argument to 
prove that we are subjects of moral government. I refer 
you to the Bible, your own consciences, the experience 
of man, and the history of the world. 

There is a necessary connection between virtue and 
happiness, between vice and misery. This is admitted, 
and the Bible sustains the doctrine. It follows, therefore, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 199 

that Christians must be happy in consequence of their 
piety. Ask them if they are not so ; they have peace, 
joy, and hvely hopes. We admit they have trials and 
afflictions ; but these are not fruits of virtue, but of sin ; 
a reformed drunkard, for instance, suffers from previous 
bad habits. It is, however, common to see saints happy 
in poverty, sickness, persecution, and death. Why are 
they so, but for the law of cause and effect ? Yet you see 
not here the whole effects of virtue ; the shortness of 
man's life, the constitution of society, and the relation of 
this world to the next, prevent. Virtue on earth is mili- 
tant, and cannot here enjoy the full rewards of victory. 
Hereafter it will be seen to be the cause of iminterrupted 
happiness. 

Vice, in the same way, causes misery. This you ad- 
mit. You see it in the drunkard — in his body, mind, 
family, <fec. You see it in nations, working death, and 
you bewail it. This is true of every degree of vice ; from 
your very nature, from God's laws and government, you 
must, if sinful, be uneasy, fearful, and self-accusing. You 
can find no real comfort, for the fountain is poisoned. Yet 
you see not here the whole effects of vice. Sinners are 
restrained by fear, by society, and cut off by death ; what 
might we not see, were not this the case ? 

II. This law will exist eternally. 

Moral government must be coeval with the existence 
of the Governor. It is based upon his nature. He is 
unchangeable and eternal, and so must be his government. 
In the eternal world, all disturbing forces will be removed 
— the mediatorial office will be resigned — and cause and 
effect will be immediate in their succession. There will 
the doctrine of our text be to the sinner a fearful truth ! 

Why should not this law exist there ? Death cannot 
change man's moral nature, and eternity is but the con- 
tinuance of his existence. Every analogy supports this 



200 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

view of the subject. Admit that a long period of uncon- 
scious existence, even from death till the resurrection, 
may intervene between the cause and its effect ; would 
such a delay prevent the cause from producing its legiti- 
mate effect at last ? Does delay prevent sequence in this 
life ? Sins in youth cause sufferings in age. Neither 
sleep nor trance prevent sequence here ; why should a 
state of unconsciousness prevent it there ? Delay cannot 
break the chain. 

Admit a change of place, even from this to the world 
of spirits. But does change of place affect sequence on 
earth ? The murderer in one city may be arrested in an- 
other far distant; the dissipated youth in this country 
may meet his fate in a foreign land. Morals have no 
national boundaries, but punishment follows the heels of 
the guilty. Now your journey to eternity is very short — 
the grave only is to be passed ; and that which has crossed 
oceans will cross the river of death. The effects of your 
acts have gone before you, and will rise up to greet your 
entrance to heaven or hell ! O remember, your own soul 
you are sowing — this will be your harvest ground, and 
eternity your harvest time ! 

" Be not deceived; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a 
man soweth, that shall he also reap.^^ Act not as if in mo- 
rals this law of cause and effect does not now, and will 
not hereafter, exist. It would be mocking God ! But this 
will never do ! He will mock by and by ! Prov. i, 26. 
Whatsoever you sow, that shall you also reap. Be as- 
sured that every seed sown will spring up in the eternal 
world. It will there bring forth fruit too, even a himdred 
fold ! How great a crop is gathered from a few grains 
here ! Wonder not at the greatness of the crop there, 
nor at the duration of the harvest. Sow then, I pray 
you, to the Spirit, that you may reap life everlasting. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 201 

XXXVI. 

We will not have this man to reign over us. — Luke xix, 14. 

Christ, the better to accomplish his merciful purposes, 
often discoursed in parables. He drew them either from 
natural objects or passing events. The parable from 
which the text is taken seems to have been drawn from 
the circumstances of the reign of Archelaus, which were 
fresh in the recollection of the Jews. " We will not have 
this man to reign over us." Such has been the feeling 
of the human heart from that time to this, and how sig- 
nally has it shown itself in words and deeds ! Men per- 
mit " the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that 
now worketh in the children of disobedience," to reign 
over them. 

I propose to show you the baseness which we manifest 
in refusing to have Christ as our King. This appears 
from several considerations. 

I. He alone has a risht to our obedience. 

1. He has for wise and benevolent ends created our 
bodies, souls, and' spirits ; of course he has a right to our 
constant services. He has not left us to ourselves, but 
has bid us live in a world under his government, to do his 
will, and has given us the means to do it. 

2. We are entirely dependant on him for life and all its 
blessings. His power preserves, his goodness watches, 
and his bounty feeds us. Without him the universe would 
forget its order, lose its stability, and rush headlong into 
ruin. 

3. The fact should never be forgotten, that when man 
revolted, God did not execute vengeance upon him, but 
gave his Son to die for him. He designed to bring him 
to obedience by love. We are Christ's in this exalted 

9* 



802 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

sense. " Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a 
price." 

We belong to God in this threefold sense : we live in 
a world which belongs to him, we subsist on mercies 
which belong to him, we were redeemed by him. Yet 
we refuse to own him as our King ! Who ever heard of 
such baseness ? 

II. The nature of his government. 

He reigns over all as the God of providence, power, 
and justice, and they cannot prevent it. He maintains in 
the hearts of his people a reign of peace and love. Ever 
since man gave up his heart to Satan there has been war 
between all the passions ; all have been rivals for empire. 
There has been war also against conscience and reason. 
There has been hatred to man and God. Thus man is an 
enemy to his best friend. Now God proposes to dethrone 
Satan from his seat in the heart, to restore conscience to 
its supremacy, and to fill our souls with love to himself 
and to our fellow-men. All his laws tend directly to this 
result — to individual and social happiness, to universal 
peace and love. Did he not show that this was his design 
when he strove to make peace between us and himself, 
by giving his Son ? Was not this amazing exhibition of 
love intended to secure our love ? Reflect, then, it is not 
a tyrannical and bloody government which we are resist- 
ing, but a government mild, and just, and happy. We are 
refusing the Prince of peace, the Father of mercies, the 
God of love ! We are owning a liar, a murderer, an ene- 
my, a devil ! O what baseness does this exhibit ! 

III. The object of his government. 

From the nature of that government we may safely 
infer that this is a benevolent object. But we are not left 
to inference. His word shows us clearly that he has in 
view our good. For however we may act, he is secure, 
happy, and glorious. " If thou sinnest, what doest thou 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 203 

against him ? or if thy transgressions be muhiplied, what 
doest thou unto him ? If thou be righteous, what givest 
thou him ? or what receiveth he of thine hand ?" He 
cannot approve our course as rebels ; yet he is willing to 
bless us, is ready to pour upon us mercies ; and hence he 
requires us to submit to him. What would you think of 
a father who should manifest such a disposition toward a 
rebellious son ? What of that son should he still refuse 
obedience ? What then do you think of God and man ? 
O ! He would save us from sin, from guilt, from fear, from 
Satan, from hell ! He would reign over us now, that we 
may go to heaven — may share its joys, strike its harps, 
bear its laurels, wear its crowns, possess its thrones. 
Yes, that we may reign with Christ, and that for ever and 
ever. Rev. iii, 21, and xxii, 5, We know all this, and 
yet refuse Christ as our King! O the meanness of the 
affair ! 

In conclusion : While there are rewards for those who 
submit, there are punishments for those who refuse. " But 
those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign 
over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." The 
day of doom is coming. Remember, God is the Sove- 
reign, and you cannot dethrone him ; his dominions are 
universal, and you cannot flee them ; his laws are strict, 
and you cannot evade them. Even Satan your king is in 
his power, and so are all his subjects. If you will not 
let God reign over you as a God of mercy, he will as a 
God of justice ; if not as a God of love, he will as a 
God of wrath ! You see the result ; will you submit 
your hearts ? 



204 REMAINS OF REV. }. W. DOWNING. 



XXXVII. 

If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. 
— ^John viii, 24. 

There is something peculiarly impressive in the lan- 
guage of the text. It shows, 1. The moral condition of 
our race— that we are in sin, destitute of the only requi- 
site for present and eternal happiness. 2. That Christ is 
our Redeemer, divinely appointed to raise us to the image 
and favour of God. 3. That unless we believe in him, 
we must die in our sins, and, by consequence, be wretch- 
ed. There is no reserve here ; the Saviour speaks as 
God, whose word is to be rejected only at the peril of the 
soul. Here are no flowers of speech, but the simple 
annunciation of a fact which will be fully understood in 
eternity : '^ If ye believe not that I am Jie^ ye shall die in 
your sins.''^ Having made this declaration, Christ leaves 
men to do as they choose. 

I. Every man is free to believe or disbelieve the gospel. 

This might be proved by an appeal to our consciousness 
and actions, and also by the Bible, which addresses us as 
free agents. Other proof may, however, be adduced. 

1. We are so constituted that when facts are substan- 
tiated by a certain amount of evidence, we cannot disbe- 
lieve them without doing violence to our nature. Thus 
w^e believe in certain first truths ; as, " Two quantities, 
each of which is equal to a third, are equal to another." 
" The whole is greater than its part." " The whole is 
equal to the sum of all its parts," &c. These cannot 
be made clearer by reasoning; they are self-evident. 
Mathematical reasoning is based on them ; if, therefore, 
in the demonstration of a mathematical problem the suc- 
cessive steps be correct, we must believe the conclusion. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. VV. DOWNLVG. 205 

So we believe in the evidence of our senses. Whenever 
we are deceived by them, it is owing either to their 
imperfection, or to our drawing a wrong conclusion from 
their testimony. So also we believe in the testimony of 
our fellow-men, though they sometimes deceive us. In 
some cases, however, there is no room for doubt ; as in 
the proof of the resurrection of Christ. Here the wit- 
nesses had every means of knowing the fact — they could 
not be deceived — they did not lie — they had no motive 
to lie. Succeeding events corroborate their testimony ; 
as the descent of the Holy Ghost, the gift of tongues, the 
miracles wrought by the apostles, and the general belief. 
Now when such evidence is before us, we must believe, 
or do violence to our nature. But on the other hand con- 
sider, 

2. We have the power to exclude evidence, and to 
weaken its force. We may shut out the light which is 
afforded us by nature, conscience, the Spirit, and revela- 
tion. Many do this, but let them not complain of the 
consequences. We may weaken the force of evidence 
by examining it with prejudice, w4th a wish not to be 
convinced, or to prove it false. We may do so by paying 
more attention to objections than to their answers, by 
looking more on one side than on the other, or by sophis- 
try. This last blunts the mind till we cannot distinguish 
truth from error; w'e often see that such is the effect. 
Now in view of these two considerations you perceive 
that we are free to believe or disbelieve the gospel. 

II. Every man is free to act according to his belief. 

This will be admitted by most persons, and may be 
proved by an appeal to facts. It would be useless to 
dwell on it were it not, 1. That many claim to be be- 
lievers who are not Christians, and say they cannot be. 
2. That the Bible classes all such as unbelievers. Mere 
intellectual belief is not that required in the text ; it has no 



206 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

saving efficacy ; " With the heart man believeth unto righteouS' 
ness" The Bible takes it for granted that men will be 
reasonable in regard to religion, as well as in regard to 
other subjects ; that is, will act according to their convic- 
tions, live according to their belief. Hence the command, 
" Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." 
But sin has rendered our actions at variance with our con- 
victions and belief, and men thus exhibit a strange specta- 
cle of folly to all worlds. 

In the present state, then, there is this great obstacle 
to men's acting according to their belief in religious mat- 
ters ; namely, their wills and affections do not move as 
reason, conscience, and God dictate. Now to overcome 
this obstacle, and to make us free, 1 . God has set before 
us motives which appeal to our feelings as well as rea- 
son ; such as heaven and hell. 2. He has proffered us 
divine aid to change our wills and affections. To exer- 
cise faith in Christ, we have every inducement which 
time and eternity can offer — every facility which the 
Almighty Spirit can afford. Therefore you may be a 
believer or an unbeliever, a Christian or a sinner, saved 
or lost. You are maker of your own destiny ! 

ni. We are approaching the period when we must finally 
decide on the course which we will take. 

As experience proves, so might we have expected, if a 
man put himself in the light it will shine upon him. As 
he investigates, evidence will increase till it become suf- 
ficient for full belief. There is a period when it will be 
brightest — when he will decide. So, on the other hand, 
if he ridicule and cavil, the light of evidence will with- 
draw, and leave the mind at last in total darkness. This 
principle applies especially to investigations of the truths 
of the gospel. The gospel is the scheme which God has 
devised for man's moral and spiritual improvement ; and 
he has promised that a constant endeavour to learn the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 207 

truth shall be followed by open vision, while proud self- 
confidence shall end in sorrow. John vii, 17; Isa. 1, 11. 
This principle was illustrated in the case of the Jews 
when Christ spread evidence before them. They were 
astonished at his doctrine, they marvelled at his miracles, 
besought him to depart from them, and finally likened 
him to Beelzebub. Then Christ uttered that fearful sen- 
tence, " He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost 
hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal dam- 
nation." Matt, vii, 28 ; viii, 27, 34 ; xii, 24-32 ; Mark 
iii, 29. Then did they pass their crisis, and their eternal 
destiny was sealed ! Then might their guardian angels 
have left them to their doom ! 

So if we would secure personal salvation, this principle 
remains in force. As motives are regarded, they become 
more powerful and overwhelming ; as the Spirit is che- 
rished, his influence becomes more softening, till the 
heart is changed. On the other hand, when fully con- 
vinced, the longer we defer yielding to conviction, the 
less hope is there that we will yield. Motives disregarded 
become less moving ; incentives to duty unheeded become 
less frequent and less powerful ; the Spirit grieved and 
resisted becomes less convincing, until we reach the 
fearful point when he leaves us for ever ! 

In conclusion, I ask you if these truths have not, at 
times, deeply affected you ? I know they have ! Will 
you wonder that I feel anxious for you when I see you 
free to believe or disbelieve the gospel, free to act accord- 
ing to your belief, and approaching the period when you 
must finally decide on the course which you will take ? 
when I reflect that every sermon I preach brings you 
nearer this period ? If a small matter were at stake — if 
it were the world — I would not weep. But how can I 
help weeping when heaven itself is to be gained or lost ? 
If your unbelief could alter the case, I would not weep ; 



208 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

but it cannot. " If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die 
in your sins.^^ God's word cannot fail. If you die unbe- 
lievers, eternity will open your eyes ! You will then, 
like devils, " believe and tremble'^ — but not like mourning 
penitents, believe and be saved. ! do not trifle any 
longer, but come to Christ. 



XXXVIII. 

If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself : but if thou 

SCORNEST, thou ALONE SHALT BEAR IT. — PlOV. ix, 12. 

In this and the preceding chapter the Saviour is beau- 
tifully represented as Wisdom, soliciting the attention and 
asking the affections of men. In language of unsurpassed 
beauty he shows his claims to our regard, and the induce- 
ments to receive him. In the text you see that he re- 
cognises but two classes of men. This may seem severe 
indeed. Are not those who respect religion and support 
its ordinances worthy to be called friends of Christ? Him 
they disobey, neglect, and reject. Siurely, then, they 
scorn him. 

I. Every man is responsible for his opinions and actions. 

Opinions, in all reasonable men, are the basis of ac- 
tions ; hence the necessity of their correctness. Hence 
the force of the precepts of the Bible, " Ye should ear- 
nestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to 
the saints." " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not 
in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God." " Believe in 
the Lord your God, so shall ye be established ; believe 
his prophets, so shall ye prosper." I make these remarks 
in view of the sentiment, " It is no matter what a man 
believes, provided he be sincere." 

According to the Bible, our means of knowledge, and 
our power of acting in accordance with that knowledge, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 209 

are the basis and measure of our responsibility. " This 
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, 
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds were evil." " If I had not come and spoken unto 
them, they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak 
for their sin." Also Rom. ii, 14, 15. I said means of 
knowledge, for one may choose ignorance, as many do ; 
but in the divine, as in human governments, ignorance 
of the law does not exculpate the transgressor. Our re- 
sponsibility is proportioned to them. " For unto whom- 
soever much is given, of him shall be much required : 
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will 
ask the more." The trafficker in rum, for instance, is 
more guilty now than twenty years ago, because he has 
more knowledge. 

We have knowledge in a high degree, and are propor- 
tionally responsible. Every sermon we hear increases 
this responsibility. 

The Bible takes it for granted that we have power to 
act according to our knowledge. Our consciousness 
proves it. 

From these principles, so hastily glanced at, you see 
the sophistry and folly of those who claim to be irrespon- 
sible on account of, 

1. Early education, associates, &c. What if you were 
wrongly educated ? What if your associates led you 
astray ? The right way is opened before you. You have 
evidence and motive sufficient to bring you right ; and, if 
lost, it will be, not because you were brought up wrong, 
but because you would not be set right. 

2. The inconsistencies of professors of religion. I 
admit and lament both inconsistencies and inaction ; they 
are stumbling-blocks ; but you are not forced to stumble 
over them into hell. You may be saved in spite of them, 
if you will. It seems to be a too common opinion that 



210 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

ministers and Christians are responsible for the salvation 
of sinners, in such a sense as to relieve the latter of their 
responsibility. This is a wrong interpretation of Scrip- 
ture. Even Ezekiel does not intimate that they who die 
in their iniquity on account of our unfaithfulness will not 
themselves be held responsible ; but the contrary is plain 
from his very words : " That wicked man shall die in his 
iniquity r We are required to use all the means of doing 
good according to our ability ; you to make them effectual 
to the salvation of your souls. This is the broad ground 
on which you and I must stand or fall at the judgment. 
God grant it may there appear that I have faithfully done 
my part — that you have done yours. 

II. Every man is himself the greatest gainer or loser hy 
his actions. 

It is on this account that the appeals and motives of 
the Bible are so overwhelming. It prescribes no duty, 
enforces no command, merely for the sake of others, but 
for our own good. Hence virtue is its own reward, vice 
its own punishment. The position may be proved, 

1. By an appeal to facts. The virtuous man is a bless- 
ing to himself, to his family, friends, and society. Follow 
him in all the relations of life, and read the proof in letters 
bright as heaven. No one can tell the happiness which 
he may have caused, the wo he may have prevented; 
and the effects may extend through all time and eternity. 
When the righteous man is removed, you see and feel 
the darkness. Yet he himself is the greatest gainer, in 
the happiness of his family and friends — the welfare of 
the church and of society — the smiles of conscience, and 
the approval of God. What is the happiness of all whom 
he has benefited compared with the feeling, " I have done 
my duty, I have been the instrument of it all ?" 

So, in all these relations, the vicious man is a curse. 
No one can tell what good he has prevented, what evil he 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 211 

has caused ; and the resuUs may be eternal. Yet he is 
the greatest loser. His victims may be innocent, and 
therefore happy. But the guilt is his, and this gives 
poignancy to every pang of remorse and fear. 

2. By revelation. The holy man secures for himself 
heaven and all its inconceivable glories. There his capa- 
cities, ever enlarging, will be ever filled with happiness. 
There are no points of elevation or of bliss which he 
may not reach. He who was instrumental in his salva- 
tion may be there also ; but he will deprive him of none 
of his joys, as a reward for his instrumentality. That 
reward will be ample in seeing the happiness of the con- 
vert. He will be a star in his crown which, while it 
addeth to its lustre, loseth none of its own glory ; as 
Venus adds to the beauty of our system, but is no less 
beautiful herself. 

So the wicked will reap death and hell ; and their 
condition will be the reverse of that of the good in all 
respects. There will be no transfer of consequences to 
agents and abettors ; they were accessories, we principals. 
God will see that wicked men and devils are fully punished 
for the interest which they have taken, and the aid which 
they have afforded in our destruction ; but the severity of 
their punishment will not lighten ours. It will be no 
alleviation to us to see them suffer. Imagine, for a mo- 
ment, an ungodly priest and his lost hearers in a world 
of wo ! Hear their mutual reproaches and increasing 
groans ! Ah ! they lessen not each other's miseries, but 
constantly and for ever augment them. 

Such is the awful responsibility under which we are 
all acting. We are exerting an influence for good or for 
evil, which may be felt through all time. After time we 
shall see its effects in eternity. At the judgment " every 
one of us shall give account of himself to God," and in 
its decisions upon our acts we shall be ourselves the 



212 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

greatest gainers or losers. Think not that I have exag- 
gerated the case. Think not to shuffle oiF responsibility. 
You cannot do it, while Jehovah sits upon his throne. 
Think not of favouritism on account of your peculiar lot ; 
God shows none. Dream not of escape from conse- 
quences ; God knows none. 



XXXIX. 

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God. — Psalm cxxxix, 19. 

Holy men in all ages have had an unshaken confidence 
in the doctrine of the final punishment of the wicked. 
Hence they speak of this punishment as absolutely cer- 
tain. They bring it to view as the great inducement to 
incline us to virtue. Now there is most assuredly some 
ground for this confidence, tenable or untenable ; and in- 
asmuch as we are deeply interested, it becomes us to 
examine it thoroughly. I ask you to bring to this exa- 
mination ndt your desires and prejudices, but the Bible, 
and the eternal principles of moral government. Consi- 
der, then, that to punish the wicked God is pledged, 

I. To his own nature, 

God is infinitely holy ; that is, such is his ilature thac 
he necessarily and supremely loves right, and hates wrong. 
" Shall not the Judge of all the world do right ?" Hence 
this love and hatred are not arbitrary passions, but essen- 
tial perfections. Take them from him, and you rob him 
of all that renders him lovely or glorious as God. Now, 
no perfection of Deity can be dormant, but must be 
active ; that is, God must manifest his love and hatred to 
their appropriate objects. All his word and works declare 
that he does so ; he smiles on angels, frowns on devils. 
Do you ask, in view of this, why he does not now show 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 213 

his hatred to sin as fearfully as he ever will ? Most fear- 
fully did he show it in the atonement made by Christ. In 
consequence of that atonement and of the Saviour's inter- 
cession, mercy now rules, and God's anger does not now 
fall upon you. But these merciful provisions are for a 
season only, and when it shall have ended, no daysman 
will be found. Holiness requires that God should be just 
to himself as well as to man. Hence the least God can 
do with the finally impenitent is to banish them from his 
presence ; else he would show complacency to that which 
he supremely hates. On the same principle it is due 
from a king to himself to banish from his court a traitor. 
But under God's moral government, banishment must be 
eternal despair. In eternity, to be out of heaven is to be 
in hell! 

II. To his Son. 

In Christ's sufferings, love of holiness and hatred of sin 
were awfully shown. At the fall, God had determined 
that man must die ; this determination was made, not in 
anger, but from the nature of the case ; that is, man had 
become unholy. So great was the Saviour's love of holi- 
ness and of man, that he consented to die that man might 
become holy, and consequently happy. Remember that 
the object of the atonement was to promote holiness ; 
hence faith is the condition, as no man can exercise faith 
without becoming more or less holy. Christ did not die 
to bring us to heaven without holiness ; he could not from 
his nature do so. He meant to leave in eternal misery 
all who would not be made holy. He assigned the con- 
ditions of salvation, and the time in which we may comply 
with them. The Father gave his Son to die as the only 
measure which should be adopted, and hence the sacrifice 
was offered. Study the Bible, and you will see it to be 
so. Hence God stands pledged to his Son to see this 
plan fully carried out. If there be failure or deviation, 



214 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the Son may say that his sufferings were unjust and use- 
less — that God looks with allowance on that in man, on 
which be frowned when it was borne by himself in his 
own body on the tree. Will eternity see God unholy? 
At variance with his only Son ! 

III. To fallen angels. 

That some angels have fallen has been revealed, not 
to gratify our curiosity, but probably to show us the extent 
and nature of God's moral government, viz., it reaches to 
heaven ; — sin produces misery. God " spared not the 
angels that sinned, but cast them down to helL" Why 1 
Because they became unholy. Hence he is pledged to 
them to manifest his anger against all his subjects who 
sin. Fallen angels do not now complain of their doom. 
Matt, viii, 29 ; Mark v, 7. On the principles of moral 
government, they know that it is right and inevitable. 
Let the finally wicked escape, and what cries of tyranny, 
injustice, and partiality, would they utter ! But they know 
there is no escape, else they would not tempt us ; they 
do it to ruin us, for " misery loves company." God must 
either release them, or punish us if we remain impenitent. 

IV. To our world, 

God has shown his disapprobation of sin at divers times, 
and in various ways, in this world's history. The marks 
of his judgments are incorporated in the structure of the 
earth. Now he must do one of two things. He must 
either change his government, which is immutable, or 
bring it finally and equally to bear on all. The latter is 
required of a good and holy governor. If he punish sin 
in one individual, so he should in all ; if one sin, every 
sin. If he pardon, it must be by an impartial rule. Were 
he to do otherwise, his government would be but caprice 
and tyranny. But God is holy. Were he not so, how 
would the antediluvians, the inhabitants of Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and others who have suffered signal judg- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 215 

ments, complain ! God stands committed to them to 
punish those who neglect salvation ; for he has made 
" them an ensample unto those that after should live un- 
godly," 2 Peter ii, 5, 6. 

But there is a principle within us which points to judg- 
ment, and threatens punishment. The ignorant and the 
learned, the heathen and the Christian, know its power, 
and show it in their sacrifices and in their lives. It is the 
voice of God, the finger of the Almighty. It warns us, 
and significantly points out our danger. Yet all this is 
solemn mockery, if there be not something awful beyond 
the grave — if the whispers of conscience be not a faint 
resemblance to the thunders of judgment. You carry in 
your breast to judgment the pledge of its impartiality ! 

Such are the views which the Bible authorizes us to 
take of this solemn subject. If ye doubt, examine. Look 
at it in its full extent, and how can you avoid seeing our 
own and all worlds as existing under one great govern- 
ment ? They are planets of the same system which spans 
the universe ; bound together by the great law of moral 
government, even as they are by that of attraction. They 
are equally dependant on the latter for physical existence, 
and on the former for moral. Suspension or abrogation 
in either case is destruction ! 



XL. 

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful : he cannot dewy 
HIMSELF. — 2 Tim. ii, 13. 

The offers of salvation are freely made to us all. The 
condition on which they are made is one which can be 
complied with by all men, rich and poor, high and low, 
bond and free. God has, however, left us the power to 



216 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

do as we wish. If we refuse to comply with the condi- 
tion, " yet he abideth faithful ;" how can we escape 1 
God is pledged to himself, to his universe, to punish us ; 
and " he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself." This 
part of our subject we have discussed. Let us now show 
our reasons for believing he will fulfil his word. We 
adduce, 

I. His omniscience. 

God is the only being who knows the end from the be- 
ginning. When he instituted his moral government he 
foresaw, as clearly as if they were all present before his 
eyes, its effects on all beings and all worlds. Reasons of 
infinite wisdom, holiness, and love prompted him to con- 
stitute it as he did. Its prime law, holiness, (obedience 
to which produces happiness, and its violation,' misery,) 
did not originate in caprice, but in the very nature of 
things. Now the effects of this government God foresaw 
would be such as his attributes would approve — such as 
would promote the holiness and happiness of the universe. 
He then gave the wheel the first impulse of eternal mo- 
tion ! 

Practical results have followed. His laws have been 
violated, and the consequences have followed. " The 
angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own 
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under 
darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." For thou- 
sands of years God has witnessed their sufferings, (Job 
xxvi, 6,) the legitimate effects of the violation of his laws ; 
yet they are unrelieved, and will be for ever. If there 
was to be a change, there would have been one long ago. 
If the results had disappointed or displeased him, change 
would have taken place. But the wheel will never stop, 
or it would never have moved ! 

II. His omnipotence. 

We have seen that God foresaw all the effects of his 



REMAINS OF REV. J. \V. DOWNING. 217 

government, and approved them. No repenting emotion 
has ever agitated his bosom. Has he power, then, to 
bring to pass what he approves ? Now God alone is in- 
dependent ; — his power is self-derived. He is above the 
control of all beings and all events. Whatever may trans- 
pire will not transpire without his permission. All re- 
sources are his. " He spake, and it was done ;" and by 
a word will the earth be dissolved. All beings are his 
servants — even devils are subject to him. How easy, 
then, will it be for him to execute his laws ; — the ele- 
ments may be his messengers. Man is weak, having so 
much power only as is derived from him. " He doeth 
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among 
the inhabitants of the earth : and none can stay his hand, 
or say unto him. What doest thou ?" ^^ If I whet my glit- 
tering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment ; I will 
render vengeance to mine enemies, and wdll reward them 
that hate me." 

III. His immutability. 

He approves of all these effects now, you say, but will 
he for ever ? May he not change 1 If he change, it will 
not be from caprice, for he is wise and holy. Will there 
be any new reasons to influence him ? Nay, for he is in- 
finite in knowledge and wisdom, and ever was. Infinity 
knows neither diminution nor increase. But God has re- 
vealed himself as unchangeable. " I am the Lord, / 
change not.'''' He is as he is by the nature of himself, and 
for the same reason must so remain for ever. Here I 
have arrived at first truths, and can go no further. Rea- 
son must here lean on the Bible, and cease to reach be- 
yond it. But is it said that God changed his purposes in 
regard to the inhabitants of Nineveh ? Such an instance 
but proves his immutability of principle and of purpose. 
Change was in them, not in him. While they were sin- 
ning, he was angry ; when they repented, or changed, his 

10 



218 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

anffer ceased. But he has ordered that we cannot thus 
change in eternity. 

The acts of God prove his immutability. He has shown 
his immutable love of holiness, 1. When, to human view, 
it seemed against his interest. As in the deluge ; would 
it not defeat the design of the creation ? Yet it swept all 
the dv/ellers upon earth, save one family, into the fathom- 
less ocean of despair ! As in the captivity of the Jews, 
&c. 2. When it seemed opposed to every feeling of af- 
fection. As in the judgments with which he visited the 
Jews. What love he had for that people — how he fos- 
tered and blessed them ! ** O that they were wise, that 
they understood this, that they would consider their latter 
end!" "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall 
I deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah ? 
how shall I set thee as Zeboim?" was the language of 
his love. Yet they were sorely punished, and many of 
them were lost ! 

O, how was God's immutable love of holiness displayed 
in the sufferings of Christ ! How did he love him — what 
words can express ! Yet when the Saviour bore our sins, 
how did the Father " bruise him !" He was " smitten of 
God, and afflicted." How awful were his sufferings, none 
but God can tell ! Here was the conflict, but love of ho- 
liness was unshaken I If God could have changed, that 
moment w^as the time. But the hour has passed ! The 
Son of God hath suffered ! Who in after time will hope 
to escape ? He that spared not his own Son when he 
bore our sins, will not spare us if guilty. Can it be thought 
he will now change for us — us so mean — us so bountifully 
provided with a Saviour — so often urged to accept that 
Saviour ? O no ! The thought is delu^sive — banish it for 
ever. His pledge will be redeemed ! 

And now go not away and call this an idle theory. It 
is the gi'eat theory of eternal life and death ; it is based 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 219 

upon the Bible. It may be trifled with, but it cannot, I 
think, be gainsaid. I have studied hard to present this 
subject before you as it really is, and have for weeks re- 
flected upon it. These principles of revelation and moral 
government have not been spread out for the purpose of 
mental exercise and gratification, but to save the soul. 
Be not content with having listened to them, but reflect — 
pray. Error here will ruin you for ever ! If I were a 
lecturer I would call myself repaid for my labour by your 
attention ; but O ! my station is more awful. Nothing 
but your acceptance of the offers of life and salvation can 
satisfy my desires. O that I could now persuade you ! 
With the full belief of the solemn truths which I have de- 
clared, I leave you, " commending you to God, and to the 
word of his grace." 



XLI. 

How OFT IS THE CANDLE OF THE WICKED PUT OUT? — ^Job Xxi, 17. 

The patriarch proposed this question with unusual 
anxiety. He seems to have expected that the answer it 
would extort would lead his friends to greater mildness 
in the review of the judgment they had passed on him. 
The idea conveyed is, that the wicked are seldom pun- 
ished in this life, but are reserved to a future day. Job's 
friends believed him wicked because distressed, and ex- 
horted him to repent. The ground of their argument was 
a moral government. He defended himself by showing 
the irregularity of that government in its present applica- 
tion to saint and sinner. Men are not here rewarded or 
punished according to their virtue or vice, and therefore 
external prosperity and the reverse are not true indications 
of virtue or of vice. 



220 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

L Let us consider this irregularity. 

It is plain to you all that God governs the world by 
general laws ; this is absolutely necessary. He has no 
general law to reward or punish by outward things, ex- 
cept that of the necessary operation of virtue and vice to 
produce happiness, and the reverse. " He maketh his 
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain 
on the just and on the unjust." Hence, in a qualified 
sense, the sentiment, " All things come alike to all," &;c., 
(Eccles. ix, 2, 3,) is true. The saint and sinner share 
alike in misfortune, poverty, diseases, accidents, and death. 
Sometimes the sinner appears to have the advantage, as 
in Psa. Ixxiii. You are to remember, however, this does 
not decide their relative happiness, and therefore does not 
militate against virtue ; a saint in rags is happier than a 
sinner on the throne. True, it is a general law of God 
to provide for his children ; (Psalms xxxvii and xci ;) but 
he does so by human means. It is also a general law 
that " the years of the wicked shall be shortened ;" but 
their end is brought about by natural causes. Man, not 
God, brings death on himself, as in the case of the drunk- 
ard; his candle burns out. The instances are rare in 
which God, by the breath of his anger, puts out the candle 
of the wicked. Sometimes he does so, as in the cases of 
** Korah, and all his company," Ananias and Sapphira, as 
if to impress upon the world the truth that there is a moral 
government, lest they should forget it in its irregularity, 
or trifle with its apparent laxity. Generally, however; he 
lets the blasphemer live to curse, nor takes the forfeiture 
at the swearer's hand. 

The good are also sometimes brought to a premature 
grave. Thus was it with Josiah, that he might not see 
the evil which was to come upon Judah. " The righteous 
is taken away from the evil to come." Some of us this 
day know full well that the good man often dies in the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 221 

prime of his days, and in the strength of his wisdom. 
When the prospect of usefulness is to human view most 
flattering ; when hope most doatingly fastens itself upon 
its object ; when we are looking forward through the long 
vista of coming years, suddenly we hear the rattling of 
the wheels, and in sorrowful surprise are compelled to 
cry out, " My father, my father ! the chariot of Israel, and 
the horsemen thereof." But no sooner have we uttered 
the words than the chariot is gone ; and, like the prophet 
on the plains of Jordan, we are left alone to rend our 
garments and to weep. 

II. This irregularity shall not always exist. 

Hence Eccles. viii, 12, 13 ; Isaiah iii, 10, 11. Ye who 
believe the Bible will not demur at this position, for God 
hath told you of a judgment, of its universality, and its 
relation to earthly deeds. But there is another process 
of proof quite convincing. Let us glance at it for a 
moment. 

1. The causes of this irregularity are manifestly limited 
to a definite time. There are good reasons for the present 
mode of administration. We can see some of them. Let 
us look at two. 

Mercy is the disturbing force ; a new power has been 
added to it by the atonement. It is necessary it should 
rule, that man may have a probation ; justice would cut 
him down. Its pre-eminence is temporary, for probation 
is limited ; it will end with the Mediatorial office, and that 
Christ will soon resign. 

Were men to see all the legitimate effects of virtue and 
vice, (and they would, were there no irregularity,) there 
would be no opportunity for trial — no strong contending 
forces — no occasion for the exercise of faith. Yet these 
are necessary, as preparative for heaven. Hence the 
reason of the concealment of "the spirit-world." But 
the reason for faith and trial will cease, when man's 



222 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

character shall have been completed, and his doom 
fixed. 

2. The instinctive feelings of the soul in witnessing the 
sins of others, and in reflecting on our own, show that this 
state of things shall not always continue. You cannot 
look upon any act of cruelty or oppression which goes 
unpunished here, without wishing for a future judgment, 
and rejoicing that there is one. We cannot think of our 
own sins but as acts of rebellion and treason, which will 
be punished for the sake of the example at least. We 
know and feel that they are, by no means, trifles. Sin 
has given us an importance, and the whole universe is 
deeply interested in our case. 

3. The very fact that the candle of some is put out is 
irrefutable proof. It shows that God has respect to sin 
in some, and, to be impartial, as you feel that he is, must 
notice it in all — must notice every sin in all — that there 
may be no ground of complaint. Those whose fate is 
recorded in Luke xiii, 1-5, were not, perhaps, greater 
sinners than we. They might have oflfered many ex- 
tenuating pleas which we cannot ; and if you judge of the 
greatness of their sins by the calamities which came upon 
them, it maybe said, that these were accidental, or rather 
contingent. " Do ye not know that the wicked is re- 
served to the day of destruction ? they shall be brought 
forth to the day of wrath." 

This subject should have a practical effect upon us all. 
It should reconcile saints to the outward ills of life ; you 
see they are necessary to God's plan, and to the good of 
his universe. Why, then, should you indulge one mur- 
muring thought ? 

" Ye good distressed ! 
Ye noble few ! who here unbending stand 
Beneath life's pressure, yet bear up awhile, 
And what your bounded view, which only saw 
A little part, deem'd evil, is no more." 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 223 

It should open the eyes of the thoughtless : — 

" Ye vainly wise I ye blind presumptuous ! now, 
Confounded in the dust, adore that Power 
And Wisdom oft arraign'd." 

Can you be secure ? Your candle may soon be put out ; 
it may now dazzle you and its beholders, but God may 
breathe upon it, and where is it? Be not blinded by its 
glare. The blackness of darkness is before you ! Can 
you trifle ? Will you sport ? O, revolve this subject in 
your minds, and prepare for that day when " we must all 
appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may 
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath 
done, whether it be good or bad.^^ 



XLIL* 

How SHALL I GIVE THEE UP 1 — Hosea xi, 8. 

God has always manifested a tender solicitude for the 
welfare of the human race. Though we have marred his 
image, and strayed widely from him, he has not given us 
over. He follows us with entreaties ; and when all efforts 
have proved unavailing — when we stand on the precipice, 
and mercy must release its grasp, it does so with grief. 
^^ How shall I give thee upV If God were dependant in 
any sense on us, it would not be strange ; but as it is not 
so, and as in the result he cannot be affected by our cha- 
racter or acts, it is strange. And why does his anxiety for 
our salvation so far exceed our own ? 

* This sermon was preached in Broomfield-street church a few 
weeks before the author's death. It is the last that he prepared for 
the pulpit, and the last that he preached. — Ed. 



224 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNINO. 

I. He knows far better than we the nature and value of 
the soul. 

We judge of these by the qualities which the soul ex- 
hibits, and by the knowledge which God hath revealed to 
us. We see the mind controlling matter, and making it 
subservient to its purposes — investigating nature, and dis- 
covering its secrets — swaying assemblies, and governing 
nations. We see it coming to results almost instantane- 
ously, and bursting forth in every form of beauty and 
grandeur. When we compare these qualities with those 
of matter, we see that the soul is worth all things material. 
That which thinks and reasons must be more valuable 
than clay. And then we know from revelation that it is 
immortal — that it shall outlive the body — the world — and 
live for ever ! 

But the Creator knows these things far better than we. 
He formed the soul after the model of his own. He 
knows the effects which it can produce, and the extent 
to which it can be enlarged eternally. You see it weighed 
down by bodily infirmities, and unable to effect more be- 
cause its instruments are weak or broken ; he sees it un- 
shackled and complete in all its powers. You witness it 
tainted and biased by sin ; he sees it pure and shining in 
its renewal. You see it when it has but commenced its 
course, and soon its instruments are powerless, and it has 
itself departed ; he beholds it when it has progressed in 
the development of its powers, beyond all time. You try 
to learn its duration by the lapse of ages, and get but an 
overpowering glimpse ; he looks on its being as commen- 
surate with his own, and he inhabiteth eternity. O ! such 
is the difference in knowledge between us and him. 

H. He knows far better than we the nature of our future 
state of existence. 

It is the law of his throne, as unchangeable as himself, 
that the wicked " shall go away into everlasting punish- 



REMAIN'S OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 225 

ment: but the righteous into life eternal." Respecting 
these two states of existence God has given us sufficient 
knowledge to create the most powerful motives — as power- 
ful as they can be consistently with human freedom and 
probationship. Yet " now we see through a glass, darkly;" 
" we know in part ;" though the little that we do know 
might, if we would improve it, lead us to greater know- 
ledge. 

We judge of heaven by the description given us of its 
scenes, pursuits, inhabitants, and enjoyments ; by the 
necessity of our nature we liken or contrast it with what 
we here see, or know, or wish, or imagine. But it hath 
neither perfect likeness nor contrast here. It is another 
and a better world. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things 
w^hich God hath prepared for them that love him." But 
he knows the worth of heaven. It is his creation — 
abode — throne ; worthy of his nature, perfections, and 
glory. From all eternity has he delighted in it. He is 
capable of comprehending its worth, being holy and infi- 
nite. This heaven you are to gain or lose. 

Equally great is the contrast with regard to hell. We 
judge of the deserts of sin by our views of its nature. 
Some view it as a trifle — some as an evil — few as " ex- 
ceeding sinful" — none view it as he does. We judge of 
its eflfects by what we feel, know, or see, or by what is 
threatened — as remorse, pain, social evils, human suffer- 
ings, and the judgments of God. But remorse is not un- 
attended by hope — pain has its alleviations — evils have a 
cure — sufferings a mitigation — judgments are consistent 
with a dispensation of mercy ; for men are here under the 
restraints of law and grace. God knows the nature of 
sin ; he views it as infinitely hateful. He knows its 
effects, for he sees them ; remorse attended by despair — 
pain unalleviated — evils without a cure — sufferings with- 

10* 



226 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

out bounds ; no law, no grace, no mercy restraining them. 
He knows the pain which you can suffer and he inflict, 
while we cavil, speculate, conjecture, and deny. 

III. He loves our souls more than we love them. 

You may think I occupy doubtful ground, but it is 
the ground which the Bible occupies. What is the test 
of love ? Words ? " O that they were wise, that they un- 
derstood this, that they would consider their latter end !" 
" As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the 
death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his 
way and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; for 
why will ye die, O house of Israel ?" " Come now, and 
let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins 
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though 
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." " Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." 
" Comfe unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest." " How shall I give thee up ?" 
When have such words of desire and love been heard 
from you ? They are the words of one w^ho has loved 
you long, with an " everlasting love" — of one who has 
infinite love — of one who " is love .'" Are acts the test ? 
Has not God loved you at a cost — even the sacrifice of 
Christ ? Loved you, though you have rejected his Son ? 
Loved you unto death 1 Has he not performed for you 
the work of a Redeemer, Mediator, Intercessor, Reprover, 
Guide ? When have you made such efforts, such sacri- 
fices 1 Alas ! the love of God has so often been brought 
before you, that it ceases to affect you as it should. But, 
sinner, how much do you love your soul ? Let your trifling 
with its immortal interests answer ! See one man sellinsf 
it for fashion — another for sensuality — another for friends 
—another for gold. Do not actions speak louder than 
words ? For that soul Christ gave his blood, while earth 
trembled, and heaven wondered ! O ! is there not a 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 227 

difference in emotions and in acts between God and 
you? 

From what has been said you now see the reasons of 
God's strong expressions of regard. They are strong, but 
not exaggerated. Earthly language fails when used to 
express his love. It has no earthly expression but the 
agonies of the garden, and the sufferings of the cross. 
See Christ sweating, groaning, bleeding, dying ! That is 
the manifestation of thy Saviour's love ! But do not from 
this grasp the wild and daring fantasy, that his love will 
induce him to save you in any way ! O no ! God is not 
a lawless being ; he loves his law better than he loves 
you : his love for you runs only in the channel which 
that has opened. If you will force him to give you up, 
he will do it ! Say, sinner, w^hat wilt thou do ? Mercy 
holds thee on the crumbling verge of ruin ! Her arm may 
even now tremble ! Shall she release her grasp ? Spare 
him, O Father of mercies, spare him ! 



228 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



HOSTILITY TO TRUTH. 

AN ORATION PRONOUNCED AT BROWN UNIVERSITY, SEPT. 3, 1834. 

Every thing connected w^ith the material world is 
changing. Days pass away like the waves of the ocean 
which rise, break, and disappear. The seasons roll on 
their courses, and change the face of nature ; at one time 
decking it with beauty, at another shrouding it with 
gloom. Man changes in outward appearance ; the ani- 
mated countenance of youth is followed by the grief-worn 
visage of age : the feelings of his soul are fluctuating; 
joy turns to sorrow, love to hatred, hope to despair. 

To this great law of change there is, however, one 
exception. The spirit of Hostility to Truth for ever 
remains the same. Uniting with the baser passions of 
the soul, this spirit has gone abroad over our world, and 
has left desolation and ruin in all its course. Science, 
liberty, and religion, have felt its withering influence ; 
but, deathless as the source from which they sprung, they 
survive to recount the difliculties against which they have 
struggled. 

From the earliest ages individuals have devoted them- 
selves to the study of the sciences. They have dedicated 
their talents, and sacrificed their lives, to accomplish the 
object of their investigations ; but how often has hostility 
to truth placed almost insurmountable obstacles in the 
path to success ? Having discovered some law of matter 
or of mind, they have shown its tendency to increase the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWMXG. 229 

happiness of man. Century after century has rolled away, 
but neither has the law been obeyed, nor have its conse- 
quences been regarded. Do you ask the reason ? The 
human heart is opposed to truth. The philosopher has 
not only been compelled to contend with the intrinsic dif- 
ficulties of his pursuits, but also to wage an unequal and 
exterminating warfare with the prejudices which hostility 
to truth has created. 

So rancorous has been this hostility, that it has both 
insulted and persecuted those gifted men who have 
laboured by their discoveries to promote the happiness of 
our race. Often has it sought to cover the noblest exhi- 
bitions of human genius with the pall of oblivion, and to 
consign to perpetual infamy the names of the most cele- 
brated philosophers. Yes, strange as it may now seem, 
the great astronomer, who first asserted the fact of the 
diurnal motion of the earth, was threatened with all the 
horrors of the inquisition. 

Happy would it have been for our world had this spirit 
spent its rage in obstructing the march of science alone. 
But hostility to truth has also affected the civil and politi- 
cal relations of man. Thus far the history of the world 
has been little else than a tale of oppression and tyranny. 
Every ocean has been stained with blood, and every land 
has been whitened with the bones of the fallen warrior. 
What is it that has thus marred the face of this fair earth ? 
God has given us, in rich abundance, civil and political 
rights, but man has disregarded and abused them. 

Hostility to truth seems to be the first law of the des- 
pot's throne. He will not believe that " all men are born 
free and equal," for he shackles his equal with the chains 
of servitude. We see this spirit exhibited in the policy 
of the autocrat of Russia. We mark its desolating effects 
on the once fruitful plains of Poland. We see it banishing 
her illustrious patriots to the dreary wastes of Siberia. 



230 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Ill-fated Poland ! Like the fabled bird of Arabia, may she 
rise from the ashes of her slaughtered heroes to a glori- 
ous immortality of freedom and of fame ! 

Never does hostility to truth exhibit a more odious form 
than when it interferes with the relations which man sus- 
tains to his God. It entered the bowers of paradise, and 
allured our first parents from the path of rectitude and 
happiness. It exulted when the Son of God was crucified 
for proclaiming the truth. Since then it has nourished 
the spirit of intolerance and persecution. It has reared 
the walls of the inquisition, and invented its excruciating 
tortures. Often has it lighted the fires at the stake, and 
cursed the dying martyr as his soul ascended with his 
triumphant song to heaven. 

Call to mind the sufferings of the great reformers of the 
church. See the illustrious Wesley exchanging the halls 
of Oxford for the wild wastes of America — relinquishing 
the literary honours which were fast clustering around 
him for the humble and laborious task of preaching to the 
uncultivated Indian the words of eternal life. Behold 
him, after his return to his native land, endeavouring to 
revive the primitive spirit of holiness in that church which 
he so fondly loved. See him going about to do good, 
esteeming no condescension too great, no labour too ardu- 
ous, if it would but advance the triumphs of his Saviour's 
cross. Why w^ere the pulpits of his own church shut 
against him ? Why did ecclesiastical dignitaries oppose 
him 1 Why was he so often followed by the abuses and 
imprecations of the mob ? Why was the mob excited by 
ministers of the sanctuary ? Did he not speak the truth ? 
Ay, his fidelity to truth was the cause of his persecu- 
tions. But was Wesley thus to be vanquished ? No ! his 
meekness was not to be conquered by insults, nor his for- 
titude by pain. His courage was not appalled by dangers, 
his ardour was not damped by difficulties, nor were his 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 231 

efforts relaxed by persecution. He formed noble resolu- 
tions, and, relying on the assistance and protection of 
Heaven, he nobly carried them into effect. 

Would to God Wesley were the only man who has suf- 
fered persecution in the cause of truth ! But the story of 
his sufferings is the same in kind with that of the reformer 
of every age and nation. And were it not for an over- 
ruling Providence which sets bound to human power, 
hostility to truth would long since have sung the song of 
victory, and Christianity would have been banished from 
the earth. 

Such have been the sad effects of hostility to truth. 
The philanthropist, while he beholds them and weeps, 
looks forward to a brighter day. Even now we are ex- 
ultingly told that the glorious morning has dawned upon 
us. Let us not, however, be too sanguine ; the clouds 
have not yet passed away. Hostility to truth may have 
relaxed its sternness, and laid aside its terror; it may 
have disguised its countenance with a smile ; but, how- 
ever changed its form, its essence is the same. The 
volcano does not always bathe its sides in lava, but it 
cherishes in its bosom the smothered fires: so hostility 
to truth, though it dare not unsheath the sword, and warm 
it in blood, still carries in its breast all the elements of 
death. Yet let us not despond ; a brighter day shall 
come! Truth has unfurled her banner, and God has 
inscribed victory upon its folds. 



2132 REMAINS OF REV, J. W. DOWNING. 

VALEDICTORY ADDRESS.* 

This day's labours close my ministerial life among you. 
It is seemly that, on so solemn an occasion, I should ad- 
dress to you a few parting words. And, first of all, I 
rejoice to make mention of the respect and kindness with 
which I have been treated by most of you, and publicly 
to tender you my grateful acknowledgments. 

I do not pretend that I have been so useful among you 
as an older and holier man would have been, but I know 
that I have tried to do the best I could. I have been 
willing to " spend and be spent for you," neither have I 
counted " my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish 
my course with joy, and the ministry which I have re- 
ceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
grace of God." You will bear witness to what my pallid 
countenance and exhausted body have so often testified, 
that my life among you has been trying, perplexing, and 
laborious. Upon it, however, I have no encomiums to 
bestow, and for it I have no apologies to offer. The record 
which has been made of it by an impartial Judge, a holy 
God, is now fast sealing up for the judgment of the great 
day. There, in the presence of an assembled world, will 
it be opened, and its results be made known ! Are you 
ready, my people, for that solemn, eventful scene ? I 
thank God that I feel happy in the thought of then and 
there meeting the account of my ministry. 

My unconverted hearers, I regret that I leave you as I 
found you, " having no hope, and without God in the 
world." I have not, indeed, been responsible for your 
conversion, but I should have rejoiced with angels over 
it. Alas ! that over you I have not been permitted to shed 
tears of joy. I have been responsible for faithfully preach- 

* This address was delivered June 3, 1838, at the close of the au- 
thor's last sermon to the people of his charge in Salem, Mass. — Ed. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 233 

ing unto you the gospel, for declaring unto you, to the 
extent of my ability, " all the counsel of God." This I 
have tried to do ; and though I still tenderly love you, 
and earnestly desire your salvation, I feel discharged from 
all responsibility. . " If thou warn the wicked of his way 
to turn from it," saith the Lord, " if he do not turn from 
his way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast deli- 
vered thy soul." Let me, then, for the last time as your 
pastor, and with all the feeling of a dying man, " pray you 
in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 

Brethren of the church, I have been solicitous for your 
welfare, and in all things have laboured to promote it. 
How far I have succeeded in so doing, you must judge. 
My discourses and exhortations have indeed been plain, 
and may have appeared to some of you severe ; they have, 
too, not unfrequently subjected me to unkind and censo- 
rious remarks. But God is my witness that I have acted 
under the sanction of his word, and the responsibilities 
of " the world to come." I have so preached, and so 
exhorted, because I have felt for your welfare, and have 
loved your souls. Your hopes and fears, your joys and 
sorrows, your embarrassments and afflictions, have been 
mine also. I pray God that you may be delivered from 
every thing which disturbs your peace and prevents your 
prosperity. And to this end I beseech you to labour, 
more assidiously than you have hitherto done, to be en- 
tirely conformed to Christ your living Head. Obey his 
precepts, cultivate his spirit, and live to his glory. Then, 
under all trials, in all perils, and amid all storms, you may 
confidently rely upon his protection. Then, in the last 
hour of expiring nature, — ^that hour so often full of bitter- 
ness and replete with agony, — you may enjoy the pre- 
sence of your Saviour, and, accompanied by angels, and 
the " spirits of the just made perfect," ascend triumphant 
to your eternal rest. 



234 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

To those who have been converted to God during my 
ministry among you, I may be permitted to add a few 
words. It is natural to cherish peculiar feelings of regard 
and affection for those who have been the instruments of 
our conversion. Such feelings may perhaps exist in the 
breasts of some of you. Sometimes, however, they de- 
generate into an unjustifiable partiality for the servant of 
Christ. So was it in the Corinthian church, when the 
holy apostle reproved them. So, I believe, has it been 
in this church. Let it not be so with you, I pray you. 
If I have done you any good, the excellency of the power 
has been of God, and not of man. To him belongeth all 
the glory, and to him alone let it ever be devoutly as- 
cribed. If any of you have cause to remember me with 
pleasure and affection, I rejoice, as it affords me proof 
that I have not lived in vain, nor spent my strength for 
naught. But say not, I beg you, when I am gone, " I am 
of Paul, and I of Apollos." Rather "let your conversa- 
tion be as it becometh the gospel of Christ ; that, whether 
I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your 
affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, 
striving together for the faith of the gospel." 

Persevere, brethren, in the way to heaven, even if you 
are called to pass through waters of aiHiction. " Be thou 
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life," 
is the heart-cheering promise of our adorable Redeemer. 
Remember that death, so full of terror to the wicked, will 
soon arrive. Already is the winged messenger of Jeho- 
vah on his way, bearing despatches of joy or of grief to 
you and me. God grant that we may be ready to wel- 
come his arrival whenever it shall be announced, and to 
enter into the mansions of the blest. There — on the fair 
shores of eternal deliverance, beyond the noise and dis- 
cord, and above the clouds and storms of this troublous 
world — all radiant in beauty and all glorious in holiness 



REMAINS OF R«V. J. W. DOWNING. 235 

— there may we renew our acquaintance, there strike our 
harps, there wear our crowns ! There may we meet to 
part no more. Finally, beloved, one and all, while " I 
take you to record this day," as I most conscientiously 
feel that I can, " that I am pure from the blood of all" — 
with the warmest wishes for your prosperity as individu- 
als, as a society, and as a church, and with fervent prayers 
for your eternal salvation — I bid you a kind and affec- 
tionate farewell, " commending you to God, and to the 
word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to 
give you an inheritance among all them which are sanc- 
tified." 



INTELLECTUAL IMPROVEMENT. 

A LECTURE DELIVERED IN THE ODEOX, BOSTON, SEPTEMBER 9, 1838, 
BEFORE AN ASSOCIATION OF SABBATH-SCHOOL TEACHERS.* 

The great law of the universe is progression. In obe- 
dience to it every thing moves on, either in an increasing 
or decreasing series. The solid granite gradually crum- 
bles into dust. The tall oak of the forest is first a tender 
shoot, then a green sapling, till at last, under the genial 
influence of warmth and moisture, it becomes stately in 
its maturity ; and, if permitted to remain unmolested, it as 
gradually decays, to afford nourishment to others. So the 
human body is first seen in all the helplessness of infancy, 
then in the freshness and beauty of youth, then in the full 
strength of manhood ; till age steals on apace, impairing 
its beauty, wasting its freshness, and destroying its 
strength, till in the grave, man's second cradle, it turns 
again to dust. Memory, imagination, judgment, and rea- 
son have also their infancy and youth, and, if properly 

* This lecture is one of a course which was delivered at the Odeon 
by clergymen of different denominations. — Ed. 



236 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

cultivated, reach not only a definite point of perfection, 
but progress in strength so long as man can witness their 
manifestations through the unimpaired bodily organs. 
And when the soul leaves the body, if disciplined in vir- 
tue, it progresses in knowledge to all eternity. The Bible 
assures us that this same law exists in the moral, as in 
the mineral, vegetable, animal, and intellectual world. 

In all ages of the Avorld the same law has been mani- 
fest in those combinations of individuals which we call 
societies. By consulting the page of history we find 
that society in its infancy is very different from society 
in its manhood. Men seem to have herded together, in 
the early ages, by a sort of instinct, for mutual protection 
and comfort. Their physical wants soon became fewer 
than the means of supply. Hence moments of leisure 
were found, which, by the natural contact of mind with 
mind, were by degrees devoted to mental improvement. 
Civilization, as a necessary consequence, followed, and 
kept pace with the progress of mental cultivation, and 
daily originated new wants, not solely of a physical, but 
principally of an intellectual nature. Science and art fol- 
lowed in the track of civilization, to supply these daily 
increasing wants. 

The histories of Greece and Rome teach us that society 
may progress in a decreasing series ; that unless the 
moral powers be expanded in unison with the intellectual, 
society not only cannot advance in improvement beyond 
a certain fixed point, but also cannot long remain at that 
point. It must descend, and rapidly too, the acclivity 
which it has been long and laboriously climbing. Thus 
was it with those proud nations. For a time they suc- 
cessfully cultivated the mind, and made rapid and unpre- 
cedented advancement in the arts and sciences ; but they 
left the heart untouched. Hence tlieir passions increased 
with the increasing means of gratificatiou which science 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 237 

and art afforded, while their self-government decreased in 
consequence of the neglect of morals ; so that unbridled 
passion soon acquired the ascendency, and they fell from 
the eminence which they had attained. 

That heroic band of adventurers who formed their so- 
cial compact in the cabin of the May-Floioer, while tossing 
on the fitful billows of the ocean, seem to have profited by 
these examples. They devised means both for mental 
and moral improvement, but gave their chief attention to 
the latter. Having thus laid the corner stone in intelli- 
gence and virtue, they reared upon it the fair superstruc- 
ture which we now behold. The sun in his goings smiles 
not upon a more enlightened, virtuous, and happy people 
than the descendants of the pilgrims. iVnd if we but fol- 
low in the steps of our fathers, and advance in intellectual 
and moral culture, no human being can assign the point 
where our progression, in all that renders society valuable, 
will end ; but we may be borne onward by the current 
till time shall be no longer. 

Such, then, being the nature of society, and its unli- 
mited improvement being so entirely dependant upon the 
cultivation of our intellectual and moral powers, our 
duty is plain. The present generation is bound to trans- 
mit to unborn millions the rich blessings which it now 
enjoys. Especially obligatory is it upon the younger 
members of the community to labour assiduously in the 
cultivation of their minds and hearts. Our fathers are 
rapidly passing away, and we must soon fill their places. 
We must bear the burdens, discharge the duties, and share 
the responsibilities, as well as enjoy the blessings of so- 
ciety. We must be the pillars on which the superstructure 
must rest, and intelligence and virtue alone can mould and 
fashion us for our respective places. 

Peculiarly applicable are these remarks to you who are 
engaged in sabbath-school instruction. From the station 



238 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

which you occupy, both in society and in the church, and 
from the nature of the work committed unto you, the duty 
of intellectual cultivation assumes an importance hitherto 
unnoticed. And when I reflect upon it, and consider its 
inseparable connection with the welfare of our country 
and the prosperity of our Zion, I may well indulge in 
momentary grief that an older and abler man had not been 
selected to lay it before you on this occasion. 

You constitute the flower of the church, and as such 
are beheld by the world. How desirable, then, that you 
present to its view one deep, glorious phalanx, adorned 
with intellect and virtue ! Second to the appointed am- 
bassadors of the cross alone in rank, you are second to 
them only in influence and responsibility. To you are 
committed the children of the church, to train for elevated 
stations in society, and for the holiest offices in the sanc- 
tuary. The Bible is your text-book ; you are to explain 
its laws, enforce its precepts, unfold its beauties, and re- 
commend its love. Mankind and the wide world are your 
field of illustration. To fit you for your calling, you need 
a mind disciplined in the school of the prophets, a heart 
daily imbibing wisdom at the cross of Christ. 

Without soliciting your attention further to this general 
view of the subject, let me now direct your thoughts to an 
examination of the present state of society, as affording 
the principal reason why all young persons^ and especially 
all sahhath-school teachers, should improve their intellectual 
faculties. 

Mental cultivation may be defined, the storing of the 
mind with principles and facts relating to every subject 
of human knowledge, and the improving and disciplining 
of all our intellectual faculties, so as to render that know- 
ledge most serviceable to ourselves and others. That the 
present state of society renders the acquisition of these 
principles and facts a duty incumbent upon us, will appear 



REiMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 239 

evident from one consideration, viz. : The progress of so- 
ciety daily brings to light hitherto undiscovered principles, 
and reveals new facts, which have an important bearing 
upon the happiness of man in all his varied circumstances 
and multiplied relations. These discoveries, and their ap- 
plication to human wants, constitute the progress of society. 

As this part of our subject is often brought before you 
in the form of lectures on education, &c., we will confine 
our remarks to the second part of our definition. And 
that you may clearly see why the present state of society 
renders it our duty to improve and discipline our intel- 
lectual faculties, so as to render our knowledge of prin- 
ciples and facts most serviceable to ourselves and others, 
I propose to consider, 1. The characteristics of that style 
of speaking and writing which greatly affects the public 
mind ; and 2. The essential requisites for its possession. 

I. The characteristics of that style of speaking and writing 
which greatly affects the public mind. 

It seems to be the intention of Providence that mind 
should act upon mind, and thus produce all the changes 
which we v/itness in the intellectual and moral world. 
History teaches us that truth has frequently been em- 
braced, and error promulgated, not so much on account 
of the intrinsic excellences of the former, or the supposed 
merits of the latter, as by the personal influence of their 
respective advocates and abettors. Thus one man has 
often held in his hand the destinies of nations. Every 
individual should, however, exert an influence exactly in 
proportion to his talents and merit ; and when an equal 
system of education shall prevail, influence will be thus 
graduated. Every young man, whether engaged in me- 
chanical or professional business, should therefore pre- 
pare himself to exert his full amount of influence, and 
thus contribute to bring about such a state of society. It 
will be no small honour even to begin a work which, 



240 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

when fully accomplished, will tend to make every man 
wise and good. 

If we carefully examine the history of the past, I think 
we shall find that, as some ages of the world have been 
distinguished for licentiousness, tumults, and revolutions, 
so some have been remarkable for peculiar modes of 
thinking, and peculiar modes of expression. 

The present is an age of intensity . By this I mean an 
age distinguished not only for that insatiable desire for 
wealth which has given rise to the ten thousand new 
schemes daily held up for our approval, and to the name- 
less improvements of the present day ; but also an age in 
which principles are pushed to their extremes, and imbo- 
died in the strongest language. Excitement seems to be 
the goddess Avhich reigns over every subject that appeals 
to the interests, the sympathies, and the conscience of 
man. The age of cool and dispassionate thinking and 
speaking seems to have passed away ; so that we may 
well inquire if moderation has not been dethroned from 
the hearts of men. Whether public men have produced 
this state of things, or whether the public have forced 
them to pursue this course, is an interesting question. 
Be this as it may, it is evident that public men, of what- 
ever profession, must be distinguished, either for the 
strength or for the beauty of their thoughts and expres- 
sions, if they would exert a deep and wide-spread in- 
fluence. 

For proof of this position let us look at the periodicals 
of the age. And here we must pass over those which 
are the official organs of parties and sects, as it is mani- 
fest that these would, at all events, be sustained by their 
respective adherents. Yet of these it may safely be 
affirmed, that those which are conducted by men of the 
above-mentioned character are the most popular, and 
secure the greatest amount of patronage. No skilful 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 241 

politician would place in the editorial chair a man not 
fully qualified, by intellectual acumen, to encounter these 
stormy times. 

But why are such periodicals as the Knickerbocker 
and Blackwood's Magazine so popular? It is because 
they contain much which gratifies the taste. They abound 
in beautiful poetry, fine stories, and enchanting romance. 
The genius of beauty and poetry reigns there to captivate 
the reader. Have you never observed the efi*ect which a 
well-written tale has produced upon society — not only 
upon the young and sentimental, but also upon the old 
and the sober-minded — and that, too, when the incidents 
of the story were not remarkable, and would, if stripped 
of their fairy dress, have passed unnoticed ? The art of 
the writer, and the beauty of his expressions, attracted 
the attention, and thus opened unconsciously the gushing 
fountains of sensibility. 

Works of fiction are likewise a criterion by which we 
may estimate the state of the public mind. These are 
more generally read than any other class of writings, 
notwithstanding the innumerable evils of which they are 
frequently the cause, and for which their authors must be 
held responsible. The changes in their style show the 
change of taste in the gay and fashionable, yea, even in 
the low and humble walks of life ; for no door has yet 
been found too low to admit an armed knight or a courtly 
queen. 

The style of fictitious writings has undergone a thorough 
revolution during the last century. Novels of the older 
class were distinguished for their romantic, visionary 
stories ; for extravagant recitals of foolish dreams ; for 
wonderful descriptions of fairies, ghosts, and fiends ; for 
miraculous accounts of astrology and necromancy ; and, 
in general, for vulgarity and licentiousness. The story 
attracted the attention and excited the passions of the 

11 



242 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

reader, while the language in which it was told, and the 
figures with which it was adorned, had no power to capti- 
vate the mind or charm the imagination. Novels of the 
present day are generally distinguished, not for the myste- 
riousness of their heroes and heroines, nor for the magic 
of the plot, but for their historical sketches ; for the beauty 
of their language, and the elegance of their imagery ; for 
their delineations of human character, and for their bold 
and spirit-stirring descriptions of the dark workings of 
human passion. The lover and his idol-mistress do in- 
deed figure conspicuously, but their appearance is not so 
disgusting as it once was, upr so painfully frequent. 

Now, either novelists themselves have wrought this 
great change in the taste of society, or society has com- 
pelled the novelist to act in accordance with its views. 
Whatever may have produced the change, it is undeniable 
that it exists. Librarians will tell us that Scott, Cooper, 
and Bulwer, are incessantly demanded, while Smollett, 
Fielding, and others of the older class, stand untouched 
and dusty upon their shelves. 

Why are Annuals, Souvenirs, and the whole train of 
new-year periodicals, so popular? Why are the works 
of Mrs. Hemans and others so dear to the young and the 
fair ? Not merely because they are finely embossed and 
richly gilded, but because of the style in which they are 
written. That part of the community that desire light 
reading seek those authors who are distinguished for the 
beauty of their productions. They go in quest of beauty 
as the bee goes in quest of honey. Wherever they find 
a flower, they cull it. That author, therefore, who can 
furnish the sweetest flowers will be most courted and most 
admired : and if he derive them from the great source 
of uncreated beauty, he may lead his readers to seek 
flowers that " thornless grow" in the green pastures, and 
beside the still waters of the " better land." 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 243 

Glance at the religious works which are especially ac- 
ceptable at the present time. Pass over, for the present, 
those standard works in theology which are the great 
text-books in this science, and which must ever be studied 
as such. These are elementary, and, if correct, need no 
alteration, since religion changes not, either in its prin- 
ciples or in its effects, amid all the mutations of the 
world. There are also other works included in this class 
which must ever be esteemed by the religious community, 
not only for the good which they have done, but also for 
their intrinsic excellences. Some of them, althouorh 
written in past ages, seem to be still in advance of the 
human mind, and no man whom our age has seen can 
improve them. Such are Baxter's, Bates's, and Bunyan's 
works, and Butler's Analogy. 

Excepting these works, with what others is an acquaint- 
ance chiefly sought? Enter the parlour, the study, the 
reading circle, and the sabbath school, and you will be 
convinced that those authors are especially esteemed who 
are distinguished either for the beauty or strength of the 
style in which they have clothed their thoughts. Hence 
the justly-acquired celebrity of Saurin's, Hall's, Chalmers's, 
Watson's and Phillip's works. Had the same thoughts 
and sentiments which are contained in them, noble and 
deserving of attention as they justly are, been feebly imbo- 
died in words, is it probable that these works would have 
been as extensively circulated as they now are ? Could 
men of weaker intellect, and less " patient thought," have 
written in a style adapted to such sentiments ? Who can 
tell the vast amount of good which the works of some re- 
ligious writers of our own country have produced, and will 
yet produce ? Who can deny, too, that they find access to 
the heart by means of the style in which they are written? 
Who can tell how many have been induced to give their 
aid to the glorious cause of missions, in consequence of 



244 REMAINS or REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Wayland's discourse on its " Moral Dignity," who would 
not have been at all affected by any sermon less sublime 
in thought, and less elevated in diction ? 

Look at a few of the public speakers of the age. 
Canning, that model of beauty, charmed the British nation 
for a season, but his voice is hushed in the silence of the 
grave. His speeches were like the mellow notes of some 
enchanting bird, that irresistibly arouse, and fasten the 
attention. And who was it that enlisted the sympathies 
of that mighty nation in behalf of the late unfortunate 
Queen Caroline, and procured her acquittal from the 
charges brought against her? Who breasted the proud 
torrent of aristocratic opposition, and moved the lords of 
that proud realm with fear of the evils which would follow 
their refusal to listen to the calls of justice ? It was the 
illustrious Brougham. No spirit less daring than his was 
equal to the mighty task, and no eloquence less powerful 
could have triumphed in its accomplishment. And when 
that vast kingdom was shaken from centre to circumfer- 
ence by the cries of an incensed people demanding reform, 
what master-spirits directed the storm aright, and, by se- 
curing the passage of the reform bill, restored tranquillity 
and peace throughout their borders ? Who, amid that 
crowd of nobles, lords, and statesmen, fearlessly and 
successfully advocated the rights of the people in the 
halls of parliament ? Who silenced the boisterous cla- 
mours of the opposition ? It was Brougham, lightening 
and thundering in the House of Lords ! It was Macaulay, 
reflecting the lightning, and echoing the thunder, in the 
House of Commons ! But for these daring spirits, these 
nervous and powerful orators, that bill might have been 
lost, and an oppressed and indignant people compelled to 
seek redress amid the awful scenes of a bloody revolution ! 

Look into our own national legislature, and you will 
find men of the same character, possessing the power 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 245 

of giants. Our enlightened community has ascribed to 
Hayne, Preston, Clay, Webster, and others, a power 
mightier than the nod of earth's proudest tyrant. Their 
eloquence reverberates through the halls of Congress, and 
thrills through the veins of a mighty people in every city, 
village, and hamlet of our land. One pleases by the bril- 
liancy of his style, and by the exhibition of an imagination 
lively and glowing ; he seems almost to remove us to a 
land bright and beautiful as that which exists in his own 
fancy, but very unlike the matter-of-fact world in which 
God has placed us. Another, gigantic in thought and 
expression, walks onward, subduing his opponent, as the 
lion of the forest when roused from his lair. These, with 
other kindred spirits in that group of shining talent, are 
stamping their image and superscription on this vast 
nation. They are giving a character, either for good or 
for evil, to all its legislative acts, and are biasing, with 
similar effect, the opinions of the public. They are mas- 
ter-spirits, who are either strengthening or weakening the 
great fabric of civil and religious liberty. Their voices 
are heard amid all the tumults of the people, not only 
because they are powerful in intellect, but also because 
every exhibition of it is suited to the age. When dead, 
they will still speak, and their influence will roll down 
the tide of time, till time's last stream shall be swallowed 
up in eternity. 

Look into the several state legislatures, and you will 
see men of the same class at work, and accomplishing 
that work by the aid of similar instruments. 

Look at the popular lecturers upon every subject, lite- 
rary, scientific, and benevolent, and you will find in them 
the same characteristics. How else can you account for 
the past and present popularity of the chief magistrate of 
this commonwealth,* who now stands on the proud emi- 
* Edward Everett. 



246 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

nence of fame, and whose voice is never heard in the 
lecture room or public assembly but with applause? 
Gifted by nature with peculiar talents, he has laboured 
untiringly in their cultivation, and thus has succeeded in 
obtaining a high place in the esteem of all the lovers of 
eloquence — eloquence as it consists in thought, expres- 
sion, and delivery. 

Enter our conventions, societies, and debating-clubs ; 
search out the master spirits who organize and sustain 
them. Call out their leaders and listen to their harangues ; 
you will be convinced that they have gathered fuel from 
the same mine, fire from the same hearth. 

Look also into the sacred desk, and ascertain the pecu- 
liarities of those who collect and retain the largest con- 
gregations, and who are instrumental in accomplishing 
the greatest amount of good. What gave to the late 
lamented Summerfield his influence over the hearts of his 
hearers — ^not only over the poor, the ignorant, the fana- 
tical, but also over the rich, the learned, the sober-minded? 
What magic power had he to draw together vast multi- 
tudes in villages and cities, and even at the seat of the 
national government? It was not the power of piety 
alone, for many men as holy as himself declared the word 
of life to small and daily decreasing congregations. Aside 
from piety, to him was given the art of pleasing ; and this 
he cultivated by careful observation, deep study, and pa- 
tient thought. Thus was he an angel of rescuing mercy 
to a guilty world. O how many may have been melted 
into penitence and love under his ministrations, who 
would have remained unafl'ected under those of others ! 

What gave to Finney that mighty influence which he 
exerted in New-England a few years since ? He knew 
the secret springs of the heart, and the language that 
would melt, and the imagination that would awe it. His 
success must be ascribed, not principally to the new sys- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNIxN'G. 247 

tern of divinity which he so boldly advocated, but to his 
riding gloriously upon the whirlwind, and careering tri- 
umphantly upon the storm. 

If we confine our observations to that part of the com- 
munity with which we are more conversant, making due 
allowance for diversity of natural talent, we must admit 
that those ministers who possess the highest mental ac- 
quirements, united with the deepest piety, are the most 
efficient labourers in the moral vineyard. We may go 
into the church, beholding its laymen engaged in its sab- 
bath schools and in its meetings of social worship, and of 
them most confidently make the same assertion. 

In fine, the community expect either beauty and ele- 
gance, or force and sublimity, in all the productions of 
professional men, and they will rest satisfied with nothing 
short of this. They require of every individual who de- 
sires to influence them, whatever may be his station in 
life, the same character, in kind, which they require of 
public men. The degree in which he must possess it 
they willingly graduate by the facilities for improvement 
which he has enjoyed. The rising generation are coming 
upon the theatre of action to carry these requisitions still 
further, and shall we not prepare ourselves to guide them 
in the paths of truth and virtue, so that when we in our 
turn retire behind the scenes, the wise and good may 
take our places ? How can we prepare ourselves but by 
grasping with a firm and steady hand these reins of influ- 
ence ? 

If such, then, be the demands of the age, and if, in the 
possession of such characteristics as I have named, lies 
the secret of the success of those Avho powerfully influence 
society, it surely is important for us to consider, 

II. The essential requisites for the possession of this style. 

Every man is bound to exert his whole influence in 
favour of truth and virtue. He who refuses to avail him- 



248 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

self of all the means which are placed within his reach, 
by which he may increase his influence, is wanting in 
the discharge of his duty to man and God. True, toil 
and sacrifice may be the price by which augmented influ- 
ence must be purchased ; but who that loves his country, 
who that prizes Jerusalem above his chief joy, will hesi- 
tate for a moment to pay it ? 

Let me not, however, be understood to convey the idea 
that all may arrive at the same eminence, or exert the 
same amount of influence, even though they may devote 
the same amount of time to intellectual improvement. 
Something must doubtless be imputed to the account of 
natural talent, of which there is a great diversity. We 
behold this diversity in men of every age and nation. 
Some, however, who are placed under the most favourable 
circumstances for intellectual improvement rise not to an 
eminence half so high as that to which others rise who 
are placed under unfavourable circumstances. The self- 
taught man, who struggles with poverty, and the envy of 
an envious world, often surpasses, in every branch of 
literature and science, him who has been favoured with 
all the advantages of the best-endowed and best-reo^ulated 
university. The difference in intellect which we witness 
among men may not, therefore, be owing so much to di- 
versity of natural talent, as to the degree to which that 
talent has been cultivated. 

Hence also it is proper to remark, that the facilities for 
intellectual improvement with which men are favoured are 
very dissimilar. One has wealth and health, another 
poverty and sickness. Even in our own New-England, 
the most highly-favoured portion of the earth, some de- 
gree of wealth is necessary to obtain instruction in the 
higher departments of knowledge, so that the children of 
the rich possess many advantages over those of the poor. 

On examination, I am inclined to believe that there is 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 249 

a greater difference in the facilities for improvement with 
which men are favoured, than in the natural talent with 
which they are endowed. And as God in his wisdom 
has suffered these differences to exist, so will he wisely 
adjust our separate accounts, and reward every one ac- 
cording to his works, when he shall 

** Make up the last reck'ning 'twixt heaven and earth." 

The first requisite to be considered for the possession 
of such a style as is adapted to the wants of the age, 
is knowledge of liuman nature. If an individual wishes to 
produce a change in any given substance, he must first 
be well acquainted with its nature. Thus if a chemist 
would labour successfully in his laboratory, he must be 
well acquainted with the nature of the substances which 
he has collected together. To influence men is to sway 
them by means of their understanding, imagination, or 
passions ; and hence the necessity of obtaining a know- 
ledge of these faculties and passions, and of the laws by 
which they are governed. In consequence of this know- 
ledge, writers and speakers often surprise us by their 
correct delineations of human character, and their vivid 
representations of human feelings. Those who desire to 
influence men generally endeavour to acquire this know- 
ledge, and therefore pay strict attention to the exhibition 
of human character, under all the varied circumstances in 
which men are placed. They behold with interest the 
actions of the infant, watch the schemes of youth, and 
scrutinize the riper plans of manhood. To acquire this 
knowledge, some have even disguised themselves, and 
thus, availing themselves of the advantages which con- 
cealment affords, have entered the secret chambers of 
man's soul, when its doors have been incautiously opened. 

A part of the advantage derived from history consists 
in the knowledge of human nature which it conveys. 

11* 



250 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

History is a broad development of the human heart. It 
reveals the actions of men under almost all possible cir- 
cumstances, and shows us the motives which have appa- 
rently actuated them in the pursuit of their various objects. 
It exhibits the influence which circumstances, great and 
trivial, have had upon their plans and actions, and shows 
the great effects which artful men and master spirits have 
ever produced upon the world. It plainly illustrates and 
confirms the oft-repeated remark, " Knowledge is power." 
He, therefore, who would learn human nature, must culti- 
vate his perceptive and discriminative faculties, so that 
he may be attentive to his own feelings and emotions, 
and may scrutinize the actions of others, whether brought 
to his notice by history or personal observation. Those 
works which are classed under the general head of light 
reading are frequently of service, not only as specimens 
of beautiful style, but also as containing good delineations 
of human character, whether seen when the heart is 
buoyant with anticipated happiness, or when it is suffer- 
ing under all the aggravated griefs of blighted hopes, 
blasted prospects, and withered joys. He, however, who 
peruses them to while away a leisure hour, or to gratify 
morbid sensibilities, or for the sake of present intellectual 
enjoyment, cannot expect to add any thing to his stock 
of useful knowledge ; he is only increasing an appetite, 
the gratification of which produces intellectual and moral 
disease. , 

That is a true sentiment of the poet, 

*' The proper study of mankind is man." 

The novice in this science must be content with wielding 
but a small influence ; while the proficient holds in his 
hand a lever of unknown power. He alone can describe 
the circuitous windings of the labyrinth who has himself 
often wandered through them. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 251 

K?iowledge of the nature and power of language is also 
indispensable. If a chemist were well acquainted Avith 
the nature of all the substances in his laboratory, but had 
no instruments for manipulation, it would be vain for him 
to remain there ; for he could perform no experiments by 
which he mi^ht advance the interests of science. So 
with writers and speakers. They must possess a know- 
ledge not only of men, but also of the instruments by 
which they can be affected. Some individuals have a 
familiar acquaintance with human nature, but, for want of 
this knowledge, are utterly incapable of turning it to any 
valuable account. It may please and profit them, but to 
the public it is as useless as a rich, but inaccessible mine 
of gold. On the other hand, we often see one individua,! 
of limited knowledge exerting a greater influence than 
another of profound erudition, because he has acquired 
the art of exhibiting what he does know, and has the 
happy faculty of expressing his ideas in beautiful and 
impressive language. 

Men may naturally differ as it regards the faculty of 
acquiring and using language ; but all can improve, and 
all should endeavour to use that language which will best 
convey their exact meaning. I do not say that every in- 
dividual ought to be able to apply to every sentence, at a 
moment's notice, the rules of grammar and of rhetoric, but 
he should, if possible, acquaint himself with the principles 
on which these sciences are founded, and form his taste 
in accordance with them, that he may avoid errors, and 
write and speak with propriety. 

We have all noticed the effect which beautiful lano^uajje 
and fine figures have produced on our own minds ; we 
have been delighted and charmed, and have almost loved 
the writer or speaker for the enjoyment which he has 
afforded us. And although we may not have been pleased 
with his sentiments, yet we have exercised far more for- 



252 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

bearance and charity than if they had been couched in 
homely phrase. We have vritnessed the effect which a 
speaker who is a master of language has produced upon 
his audience ; they have, at one time, been wrought into 
frenzy, and at another melted into tears ; and all this has 
been effected when the ideas advanced were quite com- 
mon-place. So general is the admiration of beautiful 
language and figures, that we not unfrequently find speci- 
mens of them going the rounds of the daily prints. 
Shakspeare rendered his name immortal, not only by 
the knowledge of human nature which he exhibited, but 
also by the language in which that knowledge was con- 
veyed. Hence writers, at the present day, resort to his 
works as to the great storehouse whence to obtain mate- 
rials which shall give the finish to their productions. And 
so apt and forcible are his expressions, that they are com- 
mon among all classes of men. 

An enlightened understanding (and I use this term to 
include the judgment and the reasoning powers) is also 
requisite. So obvious is this requisition, that it scarcely 
seems necessary to dwell upon it. Whatever other quali- 
fications we may possess, if we are destitute of this we 
shall be unable to effect any great and permanent good in 
any station in society or in the church. Without this we 
shall move along like a vessel with every sail set, and 
every pennon flying in the breeze, but with no rudder by 
which to steer clear of rocks and quicksands. This is 
that " round-about common sense," for the destitution of 
which nothing can atone, and the loss of which nothing 
can repair. 

It is judgment alone that can teach us how to avail 
ourselves of the knowledge which we may have acquired. 
We behold its exercise in every man who discharges with 
success the duties of life. The sabbath-school teacher 
manifests it in the government and instruction of the 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 253 

children committed to his care. The artful politician 
exhibits a specimen of judgment disciplined in the ranks 
of party. In every popular speaker, also, we may behold 
the exercise of a well-trained judgment in the arrangement 
of his discourse, in the skilful management of his own 
feelings and those of his aiidience, and in his taking ad- 
vantage of the very moment or circumstance best adapted 
to make them accord with him in his view^s and feelings. 

That the reasoning powers should be duly cultivated 
appears evident from the fact that no one can maintain 
a permanent influence over men without their exercise. 
The empty, boisterous declaimer, can never for a long 
time sway the sceptre. We naturally ask, What is all 
this for ? Isliis object reasonable ? Are his plans feasible 1 
Are the arguments adduced valid, and will they bear close 
examination ? This appears still more evident from the 
consideration that the present is an age of discussion. 
Every subject, whether relating to science, arts, politics, 
or religion, is debatable. No topic is too trifling to enlist 
advocates and opponents ; no subject too momentous to 
secure foes as well as friends. Men seem determined to 
meet each other on the field of argument, and test their 
respective strength. Old systems are undergoing altera- 
tions ; and every alteration requires a regular campaign 
to test its w^orth. New systems are brought before the 
public ; to persuade us to adopt them their advocates use 
reason, and some, alas ! are not very reluctant to use 
sophistry. Every individual, therefore, who stands forth 
in defence of truth should be able to show that truth alone 
is reasonable. He should present to the public satisfac- 
tory proof that he thus acts because he thus believes ; and 
that his belief is not founded on the opinions of others, 
but on his own convictions. He should be able to con- 
vince them that his understanding has been sufficiently 
cultivated to enable him to discover and expose the errors 



254 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

as well as the fallacies of his opponents, and that he is 
able to stand erect upon the field of argument. Unless he 
can do this he can have no confidence in himself, and no 
expectation of usefulness. An age of intensity and debate 
will discover his defects. He will be unable to command 
attention, and will be compelled to leave the field without 
even covering his retreat. 

The poiver of analysis is, likewise, a necessary requi- 
site. By this I mean the faculty of perceiving and exhi- 
biting the main principles upon which every science and 
every system depends. By analysis every disguise and 
ornament is stripped of, and the naked thought displayed ; 
a process analogous to that which a skilful anatomist uses 
in obtaining a good skeleton. The habit of analysis is 
necessary to assist us in our own mental operations, and 
to enable us fully to examine any subject. It is of great 
service also in reading. It is indispensable to every ex- 
temporary speaker, to enable him to see the end from the 
beginning, and to bring every thing to bear upon the 
object to be accomplished ; — a peculiarity for which Lord 
Brougham is remarkable, and in which lies a great part 
of his power. Those general remarks which are made 
without any specific object or design produce no direct 
effect : the reason is obvious ; they are not designed to 
produce any direct effect ; the speaker himself does not 
know to what his remarks are tending, and is it sur- 
prising that his hearers should be enveloped in similar 



Ignorance ? 



Unless an individual has carefully analyzed a subject, 
he cannot proceed advantageously in its discussion. Such 
discussion would resemble a house which a carpenter had 
built without having previously drafted a plan. As no 
man of taste would live in such a house, so no man of 
sense would listen to such a discussion. There are some 
men who will so readily answer an opponent, or, with 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 255 

scarce a moment's study, reply to an address, that they 
seem to do it instinctively ; but it is previous thought, and 
the habit of analysis, that have given them this power. 
We sometimes call it heaven-born genius ; but, name it 
as we will, it grows on earth, and is the offspring of 
labour and mental discipline. 

This habit must be acquired to enable us successfully 
to contend with an opponent. We must not only be able 
to ascertain the precise meaning of his words, but must 
also be able to carry back his positions to first principles, 
if we would so answer him as to expose the weakness, 
or detect the fallacy, of his arguments. It is this habit 
which renders the advocate at the bar successful and 
luminous in his pleas. He takes both a comprehensive 
and a minute view of the argument of his professional 
brother, and is thus prepared to refute what may be re- 
futed, and to counterbalance the remainder by his own 
force and adroitness. 

This power is an indispensable qualification for a 
teacher. The w^hole process of instruction is to advance 
from principles to facts, and to deduce principles from 
facts. Who can teach another what he himself has not 
learned ? Who can make that, of which he himself has 
but an imperfect conception, plain to another ? 

Especially incumbent is it upon every young person, 
at the present day, to analyze the great subjects of dis- 
cussion among us, that from just premises he may arrive 
at those conclusions which shall show him the duties 
required at his hands, and the maimer in which they must 
be discharged. How numerous and momentous are the 
questions which now agitate the community, and how 
great and sacred the interests which they involve ! Now, 
indeed, is the time for men to think and act for themselves, 
and to take their own individual responsibilities. The 
latter rest upon them, however they may neglect to do 



256 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the former ! Who will weigh even the political responsi- 
bilities oif the young men of this generation ? Who, that 
loves his country, will doubt the propriety of becoming 
acquainted with politics ? I speak not of party politics, 
but of politics as a science, embracing the theory of 
government — the duties and powers of rulers and sub- 
jects — the protective and banking systems — the com- 
mercial and the agricultural interests of the community — 
and all those questions which vitally affect the welfare 
of nations, and the very existence of republics ? Who 
will say that these subjects can be investigated without 
analyzing them ? 

The power of generalization must be added to that of 
analysis. And by this I mean the applying of one general 
law to all the subjects which it embraces ; as the applying 
of the morality of the gospel to all the minutiae of public, 
social, domestic, and private life. Without further re- 
marks, you will see the importance which must be at- 
tached to this by every reflecting mind, and its intimate 
connection with the duties of a sabbath-school teacher. 

Patient thought is the last requisite which we will notice. 
It is mental labour which causes the chief difference be- 
tween man and man considered as an intellectual being. 
Without it, none can hope to arrive at greatness ; with it, 
none need fear beino^ dwarfs in literature or science. It 
will readily be admitted, that we must exercise patient 
thought, if we would treat on any subject so as to in- 
terest and profit men ; we must revolve it in our minds 
again and again, till we are satisfied that it cannot appear 
to us in any new light, and that we are fully prepared to 
defend every position which we have assumed. True, 
we may read various authors, and then use their ideas ; 
but in this case there would be no originality, and, by 
consequence, no credit, except for patient research. 
Should the present generation pursue the course of copy- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 257 

ing from their predecessors, the world would be but little 
wiser for us ; and " if that severe doom of Synesius be 
true, it is a greater offence to steal dead merCs labours 
than their clothes, what shall become of most [modern] 
writers ?"* 

Let us, however, neither undervalue nor overvalue 
reading. All historical works, and all elementary works, 
numerous as they are, must be studied as text-books. 
We expect to derive our knowledge of principles from 
elementary books, and the knowledge which these con- 
tain must be regarded as common property. Thus com- 
mentaries are valuable when we resort to them as sources 
of historical and critical knowledge ; but if we use them 
as common-place books from which to obtain ideas, they 
may do us more harm than good. There are other works 
that must be studied for the sake of the information which 
they contain ; and many of them should be used as a sort 
of capital on which to commence thinking ; as a merchant 
hires a thousand dollars on which to commence business, 
and then depends entirely upon his own resources. 

Patient thought is entirely opposed to that method of 
reading which is practised by many individuals, viz., 
reading without reflection, — without questioning the truth 
of the author's sentiments, ascertaining the correctness 
of his positions, or examining the soundness of his prin- 
ciples, but indiscriminately approving the whole. 

The neglect of patient thought is the great cause of 
that superficial knowledge which prevails at the present 
day. Many individuals seem to think that they can very 
easily ascend the steeps of science, by the aid of a few 
books and popular lectures. Indeed, some would fain 
persuade us to believe that a rail-road to knowledge has 
already been constructed, and that we can arrive at the 
desired depot in twelve winter evenings. Men may amuse 

* Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. 



258 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

themselves with these pleasing dreams, but they must at 
last wake up to the sober reality of labour — constant, per- 
severing labour — if they would ensure success. Patient 
thought is indispensable to intellectual improvement. 

If I have succeeded in showing you that these are the 
requisites for the possession of such a style of thought 
and expression as will enable us to be useful in our 
several callings, I have shown you that it is a " duty in- 
cumbent upon all young persons, and especially upon all 
sabbath-school teachers, to improve their intellectual 
faculties." I cheerfully submit these views to your fur- 
ther investigation, hoping thereby to promote the useful- 
ness of sabbath schools, the welfare of our country, and 
the interests of the church. We need, I trust, no other 
incentive to exertion than love to that precious cause in 
which we have embarked our all for time and for eternity. 
We are looking for no higher honour than the approbation 
of our Master — no greater reward than a crown of righte- 
ousness. To none of us may have been intrusted splendid 
natural talents, and to but few of us may God have given 
favourable opportunities for intellectual improvement. Let 
us, however, gratefully receive, and carefully improve, 
whatever he has committed to our trust, in the humble 
but confident expectation that he will continue still to 
display his infinite wisdom, in causing " the weak things 
of the world to confound the things which are mighty." 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 259 

SPEECH 

AT A MEETING HELD IN BROOMFIELD-STREET CHURCH, BOSTON, MARCH 
2d, 1839, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF WILBUR FISK, D. D., 
PRESIDENT OF WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 

Resolved, That while the literary world has lost one of 
its luminaries, and the community a warm patron of its 
best interests, the church is called to mourn the departure 
of one who was " mighty in word and deed" among us. 

I ESTEEM it a privilege, Mr. Chairman, to be permitted 
to speak in honour of that great and good man, whose 
death is the occasion of our assembling this evening. I 
am conscious, however, that his talents and piety have so 
long commended him to the regards of the community 
and the church, that nothing which I can say will add to 
the sacredness with which his memory will be cherished. 
It is already embalmed in the hearts of many who move 
in every circle of life, and the tear of tender and mournful 
regret has freely flowed at the tidings of his premature 
death. Still, there seems to be a peculiar propriety in a 
full and free expression, on this occasion, of our respect 
for the virtues of the deceased. He was our patron and 
benefactor, and to him, under God, are we indebted for 
many blessings. The young as well as the old may speak 
of his worth, and join in mourning the loss of a father in 
Israel. 

For my own part, I had hoped that his useful life would 
be prolonged for many years. But I must confess that 
this hope has rather waned, as I have at different times 
reflected upon a sentiment which he expressed in this 
church, on the anniversary of the Education Society, dur- 
ing the last session of the New-England Conference. " / 
think (said he, with a peculiar and solemn emphasis) that 
I am not inclined to he superstitious ; hut something, I know 
not what, reminds me that I shall not long he with you, either 



260 REMAINS OF REV. J, W. DOWNING. 

to 'pre'pare our youth for the ministry, or to labour in any 
station for the welfare of the church. But, feeling as I do 
the great importance of an educated ministry, I would leave 
my testimony, and, if it he the will of God, my dying testi' 
mony, in its favour. ^^ It may have been, sir, that " coming 
events (on that evening) east their shadows before." I 
have thought that God sometimes forewarns his servants 
of their death. And I rejoice that the dying testimony of 
Fisk in favom* of education is before the church and the 
world, accompanied with the living proofs of the great 
and holy efforts which, through the whole course of his 
life, he made to promote it. 

The literary world has (in the language of my resolu- 
tion) lost one of its luminaries. Dr. Fisk \vas graduated 
with honour at Brown University, in 1815, and from that 
period steadily ascended the hill of science. With him a 
collegiate education was but the foundation for greater 
attainments in knowledge. His talents were soon known, 
and his worth appreciated. But he courted not literary 
distinction. He sought not the elevated station which he 
occupied at his death ; — the station sought him, and he 
filled it with honour. His untiring and successful labours 
have won for him a reputation for sound learning w^hich 
may not be ruthlessly assailed, and have secured for him 
an enviable distinction among the literati of our country. 
They will mourn the death of a brother ! His Alma 
Mater will weep, as she registers him on the list of her 
departed worthies ; and the halls of Wesleyan University 
will long wear a sombre aspect, because they can no 
longer echo the wisdom of her president ! 

Dr. Fisk was also a man of practical knowledge. He 
had no desire to dwell in the abstruse regions of metaphy- 
sical science, and to abstract himself from the every-day 
affairs of life, but he laboured to make all his knowledge 
serviceable to his fellow-citizen§. He was ready to en- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 261 

gage in every enterprise which he deemed benevolent, 
and watched with anxious eye the progress of society in 
knowledge and virtue. As a community, therefore, we 
shall feel his death. 

The church, however, is the greatest sufferer, and may 
be permitted most deeply to bewail her loss. He was 
one of her most dutiful sons ; and as she buries him, will 
she not " make great lamentation over him ?" To her 
holy service he consecrated all his talents, and deemed it 
his highest privilege " to spend and be spent" for her 
sake. " For Christ and the Church" was the sacred motto 
which seems to have been engraven upon his soul. Did 
the occasion permit, I would gladly enlarge upon the un- 
tiring efforts which he made for her welfare, and the 
devotion which he invariably show^ed to her interests. I 
can now only glance hastily at one or two particulars. 

Dr. Fish was a faithful and eloquent preacher. Often 
have I regretted that it was not my privilege frequently 
to listen to his ministrations ; but " his praise is in all the 
churches." Many now present can attest not only to the 
simplicity and beauty of his language and address, but to 
the spirit of piety and love which pervaded his discourses ; 
— to the warm sympathy which he created in the breasts 
of his hearers, and to the ardent desires which he so 
touchingly expressed for their salvation. You, my bre- 
thren of this church, will never forget with what affection 
and holy ardour he besought you, on his last visit to this 
city, to " pray for the peace of Jerusalem," and how every 
feeling of his overflowing soul was enlisted in the prospe- 
rity of Zion ! He preached (to use the eloquent language 
of Dr. Stone) *• like one who had measured eternity, and 
taken the dimensions of a soul !" 

He was warmly attached to the doctrines and discipline of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. From the position which 
he occupied among us, it not unfrequently devolved upon 



262 REMAINS OF REV, J. W. DOWNING. 

him to explain and defend our doctrines and usages. He 
never shrank from the task, but defined clearly and de- 
fended triumphantly " the faith once delivered to the 
saints." And when duty called him to act offensively, he 
did it in a manly and Christian spirit. His attachment to 
our discipline was shown by the sacrifices which he made 
to conform to it. Hard must it have been for one afflicted 
with his bodily infirmities to submit to all the toils and 
privations of an itinerant minister. To use his own words, 
in the Report of the Missionary Education Society, he 
"looked upon Methodism as the peculiar offspring of 
Providence, and specially adapted to the wants and cir- 
cumstances of men." His attachment to her, therefore, 
proceeded as well from the impulses of duty, as from the 
emotions of regard and love. His generous nature knew 
no bigotry, but he held sympathy and communion with 
all who " love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." 

He was ever ready for all tJie emergencies of the church, 
" He counted not his life dear unto himself, so that he 
might finish his course with joy." He entered our ranks 
as a travelling preacher, and continued to discharge, with 
imusual fidelity, the duties of his station, till he was called 
to another field of labour. When our academy was esta- 
blished at Wilbraham, he was appointed to take charge 
of it ; and for years did he labour with no other recom- 
pense than a scanty salary, and the satisfaction of pro- 
moting education in the church. When the Wesleyan 
University was founded, he was called to fill the presi- 
dential chair, and to direct all its operations. This was a 
great task for a great man, but Dr. Fisk proved himself 
equal to it ! And now, when his own reputation, and that 
of this young but flourishing institution is fully established, 
he is taken for ever from us. Through his whole life he 
seems to have considered himself the servant of the 
church. Ready he was at any moment to do her bidding. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 263 

regardless of ease, convenience, emolument, or interest. 
This sentiment he very clearly expresses in a letter to 
Dr. Bangs, on the occasion of having been elected bishop 
by the last General Conference. After stating several 
reasons for declining this responsible office, he adds, 
" My constitution is such, that, to all human appearance, 
I might calculate with the fullest certainty upon a speedy 
termination of my labours, if I were obliged to be exposed 
to all the varieties of climate, at any and all seasons of 
the year. This, if I believed the interests of the church 
required it, should not deter me ; for why should not I go 
into the hottest of the battle^ and fall, as well as others V 

Venerable man ! he has fallen on another field, but not 
ingloriously, for the laurels of victory were wreathed 
around his brow ! He has fallen on classic ground, en- 
deared to the Christian student by his prayers and labours, 
and consecrated by the tears and prayers of the church. 
He has fallen to rise again in glory ! For " when Christ, 
who is our life, shall appear, then shall he also appear 
with him in glory." 

But I must close. Most heartily, sir, do I respond to 
the sentiment imbodied in the resolution which has al- 
ready been adopted ;* but yet a melancholy gloom oppresses 
me, as I reflect upon the death of Dr. Fisk. I cannot 
realize, and scarce can I believe, that I shall see his face 
and hear his voice no more. Mysterious indeed is the 
providence which has deprived us of the services of so 
valuable a man. And when I dwell upon the loss, untold, 
unfelt as yet, I can scarce restrain my tears. Well, let 
us weep, brethren, for never may we have greater cause ! 
This is a mournful occasion, and a mournful year for 
Zion. Scarce a wind blows which bears not the tidings 

* A resolution expressive of " the full assurance that all the dispen- 
sations of Divine Providence are ordered in infinite v^isdom and love,'* 
&c. — Ed, 



264 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

of some good man gone ! Ruter, and Merwin, and Stone, 
and Fisk — these are but a few of the watchmen who have 
recently been removed from the walls and watch-towers 
of Zion. Who, sir, will next go ? But I forbear. God 
will take care of his church, and to him let us commend 
her in this hour of sorrow. 



REMAINS OF REV. J..W. DOWNINO. 265 



LETTERS. 



[The following extracts are arranged according to the respective 
dates of the letters from which they are taken. Those bearing date 
previous to 1835 are, with one exception, from letters written at Brown 
University. — Ed.] 

TO HIS PARENTS. 

April 24, 1831. 

There is one subject, my dear parents, upon which I 
frequently and seriously think, and the interest of which, 
instead of diminishing, increases ; that is, the subject of 
religion. I have endeavoured to ascertain what my con- 
dition before God is, whether my sins are really pardoned, 
and whether I am prepared to die. The result of the 
examination has been this : I find that I am a sinner 
against God, have no clear and satisfactory evidence of 
the pardon of my sins, and am not prepared to die. This 
is indeed a bad situation! I could wish to feel more 
deeply upon the subject, but think I am justified in saying 
that I am truly penitent, and desire .to experience the 
religion of Christ, and to have an evidence of the pardon 
of my sins, and of my acceptance with God. It seems 
to me that 

" Nothing is worth a thought beneath, 
But how I may escape the death 
^That never, never dies !" 

TO THE SAME. 

August 16, 1831. 

I sometimes fear that, after all my endeavours to lead 

a Christian life, I have come short of it, and shall not 

spend an eternity of happiness. I sometimes am led to 

12 



266 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

doubt whether I have experienced a change of heart, and 
if I have, whether I have not backslidden ; but, as I have 
told you before, I feel deeply interested in the subject, and 
feel determined to go on and obtain a clear evidence of 
the pardon of my sins, and of my acceptance with God. 
I have been urged to join the religious society in college ; 
but I tell them. No, I am not fit ; for I cannot say that I 
have a good evidence of the pardon of my sins, and do 
not always feel that I love to pray to God, though I do 
love to associate with his children, and to meditate upon 
his justice and mercy. 

August 17. 
You have seen what were my feelings on yesterday 
morning, and I am now happy to say that they are 
changed. I dare not say that I have experienced a 
change of heart, but I feel altogether differently. I love 
to pray and to read the Bible ; I do not feel the sense of 
guilt that I felt last week, nor do I feel that I have an 
evidence of the pardon of my sins ; it does not seem as 
if I had felt so deeply as I ought, or repented so sin- 
cerely ; so that it does not seem possible that God should 
have forgiven me. But he alone knows my heart, and to 
him would I give myself, with the determination to go on 
in trying to serve him. My feelings are so entirely dif- 
ferent from what they ever were before, that I cannot but 
think that my heart is different. Gladly would I talk 
longer with you on the subject, but cannot now ; pray 
earnestly for me that I may be enabled to love and serve 
God. 

TO THE SAME. 

October 11, 1831. 
I find my life is as varied as the heavens ; at one time 
clear and beautiful, and at another overspread with clouds ; 
but most frequently clouds are visible in the clearest day. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 267 

And as in the darkest storms bright spots are seen, so 
when doubts and fears come over my mind, one ray of 
light still shines and illumines the darkness. But after 
all, I sometimes greatly fear that I am deceived, and that 
my feelings have run away with me ; but I pray God to 
make known to me my true situation, and to lead me in 
the right way ; for it is my chief object to try to love and 
serve him. Are these, my dear parents, the feelings which 
spring up in every Christian's bosom? Do Christians 
doubt and fear 1 Or have they a constant peace which 
removes every doubt and fear, and keeps them near the 
throne of God ? I ask you, for you have learned by the 
experience of years the feelings which are peculiar to 
the children of Grod, and you are able to instruct and 
comfort me on my way through the dreary pilgrimage of 
life to the blessed society in heaven. O, pray for me, and 
let us endeavour to be among the followers of Christ, and 
then we cannot but be useful and happy. 



TO THE SAME. 

March 28, 1832. 

I have no desire to live for any other purpose than to 

be useful to my fellow-beings, and to become meet for the 

inheritance above. True, I wish to do something in the 

world which shall cause my name to be remembered with 

pleasure when my body shall have crumbled into dust ; 

yet I desire to lay my little all at the foot of the cross, 

and say, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" And 

when my influence (if I shall ever be blest with the means 

of doing good) shall have ceased, when my soul shall 

have become ripe for heaven, then shall I delight to " lay 

down the burden of this wearisome life," and pass over 

the cold river of death. You, my dear parents, are further 

advanced in life than your sons ; you may be much nearer 

the eternal world; one step more, and your sighs and 



268 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

sufferings may all be buried in the grave ; let us then try 
to spend the remainder of our days in the service of our 
Master, and not in excessive sorrow. Besides, you have 
been highly favoured of God ; he has given you a compe- 
tence of the good things of earth, while thousands pine in 
poverty and want ; he has given you a well-founded hope 
of happiness hereafter, and prepared a mansion for you 
in heaven, while multitudes are living " having no hope, 
and without God in the world," and millions are inhabiting 
the dismal regions of hell. The most ardent wish of 
your souls has been, that you might live to see your 
children become the followers of Jesus ; and perhaps 
your wish has been realized beyond your fondest expecta- 
tions ; for many of them are already in heaven, and those 
who yet remain are, I humbly trust, walking in the straight 
and narrow way, with dauntless step and watchful eye, 
and full determination to gain the prize. 

There were many meliorating circumstances attending 
the death of our beloved Mary. She was a Christian ; 
her life bore ample testimony that her heart was renewed, 
and warmed by the love of Jesus. She died at home; 
her last, fond look was cast upon her dearest friends, and 
her last words were the accents of love. She was willing 
to go whenever her Lord should send for her, having her 
lamp trimmed and burning. She died in full prospect of 
heaven; no cloud obscured the radiance of her setting 
sun ; no gales of doubt or temptation shattered her bark 
of heavenly hope ; she saw her friends on the other side 
of the river waiting with open arms to receive her .; and, 
O " praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonder- 
ful works to the children of men !" she arrived safely in 
the port of everlasting rest. And now, my dear parents, 
conceive, if you can, for a moment, the feelings which 
must have agitated your bosoms, had our Mary manifested 
a fear of death, and a dread to appear before her God ; 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 269 

had the frowns of justice, instead of the smiles of mercy, 
rested upon her. You cannot indeed conceive of all the 
poignancy of these feelings, which God has prevented you 
from realizing, but you can conceive of enough to make 
you almost forget to mourn. Often think of this, and I 
doubt not your hearts will expand with gratitude. 

But though our Mary is dead, though the heart which once 
beat with sympathy and affection is hushed in the silence of 
the grave, have we not reason to believe that love for us is 
still cherished by the saint in heaven ? that departed spirits 
may be the guardian angels of their surviving relatives ? 
And shall not our little family be hereafter united around 
our Father's throne ? Shall we not all meet there to part 
no more ? Shall we not recognise each other there ? O ! 
pleasing thoughts ! earthly pleasures vanish when com- 
pared with them. Surely, there is nothing mournful in 
the death of Mary ; we could indeed have wished that the 
summons had not so soon arrived, but we will say with 
resignation, It was the Lord's time. Death entered our 
dwelling stripped of all its terrors ; it came like a kind 
angel to release the heavenly spirit from its earthly clay ; 
it came not unexpected ; it hovered round and round, and 
lingered oft, as if unwilling to perform its office ; and 
when at last, by God's command, it touched the suffering 
saint, its touch was soft as that of a kind mother on her 
infant's brow ; the soul began its flight, and the tired 
wheels of nature ceased to move. But I must tear myself 
away from this subject ; it is almost too much for a human 
mind to dwell upon. 

I humbly trust I am still engaged in the service of God ; 
yet my thoughts are so sinful, my earthly desires, affec- 
tions, and passions, so little curbed, that I sometimes feel 
almost ready to give up all for lost ; but I still love to pray 
to God and read his holy word, and sometimes rejoice in 
the faint hope I cherish of being able by his blessing, by 



270 RiEMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

and by, to bring lost sinners to the foot of the cross. I 
desire to promote the cause of Christ; but this seems 
almost impossible, for I possess but very little piety or 
wisdom. I feel to say with Moses of old, ** I am not 
eloquent, but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." 
You will inform me in your next what you think of my 
religious feelings and prospects ; for I have no wish to be 
deceived. I was happy to hear that you had not forgotten 
me in your prayers at the throne of grace ; my dear father 
and inother are also the subjects of my daily prayers. 

TO THE SAME. 

April 17, 1832. 

i never felt so exhausted, or so far " run down*^ as to 
powers of mind as I do at present ; and I am heartily glad 
that the time draws near when I shall be permitted to 
relax my efforts, and draw off my thoughts from mathe- 
matics, &c. Surely, my dear parents, the roots of know- 
ledge are hitter ; wisdom can never be obtained by indo- 
lence and ease. 

My religious enjoyments for a few days past have not 
been so great as I could wish ; there is so much depravity 
within, and there are so many temptations without, that I 
find myself unable to serve God with that zeal with which 
I desire to serve him. Sabbath evening I spent an hour 
and a half in prayer for more grace, and for a clear evi- 
dence of the pardon of my sins. I cannot but believe that 
God did then forgive my sins, though I did not enjoy an 
immediate evidence of it, and now rely upon no other 
proof than this ; I am calm and happy, and do not feel the 
condemnation which I then felt. Yet I sometimes fear 
that this tranquil state of mind may be owing to the Holy 
Spirit's having taken his flight, leaving me to go on in 
peace to the gates of hell ! But, blessed be God, I believe 
this fear to be a temptation of the adversary of souls. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 271 

TO THE SAME. 

January 24, 1833. 

.... I was about to explain the difference between 
going to^ and departing from, my own loved home ; but I 
forbear. Enough to say, that here no mother greets her 
son, no father listens to his artless tale. The cold and 
calculating materialist may look back, and recount with 
mournful joy the pleasures passed away ; he may despair 
of ever finding the like again ; he may in the hour of 
loneliness cherish with delight his fancied hope of anni- 
hilation. But the humble Christian, when he grasps the 
hand of affection, and utters the farewell words, when he 
leaves his dearest friends for months, or years, or for life, 
need not despair. There is a brighter world than this. 
Faith opens to his view a land of glory, the saint's eternal 
home ; it holds out to him the robe of righteousness and 
the victor's crown, as incentives to exertion. Do you not 
think of these things, my dear parents, when your sons 
leave you ? Did they not revive your drooping spirits 
when Mary took her flight to heaven ? Strange would it 
be should the Christian ever lose sight of these most 
transporting truths. The bow of earthly promise which 
God placed in the cloud after the deluge, appears only 
when the storm has passed away ; the bow of heavenly 
promise, illumined by the rays of the Sun of righteous- 
ness, appears when the clouds are gathering ; and as the 
storm approaches nearer and nearer, it glows with hea- 
venly lustre, till at last, when darkness envelops the 
Christian, and his heart trembles within him, it says in 
the language 9f assurance, '' Fear thou not ; for I am with 
thee." The storm subsides, but the bow remains ; it will 
remain with the faithful till they have passed over Jordan, 
and entered the city of their God. Dear parents, while 
we behold this bow we need not despond ; it will cheer 



272 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the darkest day, and illumine the most dismal night : but 
if we prove unfaithful, it will be withdrawn from our view. 
May God help us to endure to the end, that we may be 
saved. 

TO THE SAME. 

February 24, 1833. 
I sometimes imagine myself on the verge of that world 
to which we, my dear parents, are so rapidly tending. 
At times I feel prepared to bid farewell to the scenes of 
earth, and depart. Indeed, I often think that were I as- 
sured of happiness hereafter, and were I to know that, 
during the course of a long life, I should be the means of 
good to no one, but that my early death would lead one 
sinner to reflect upon the worth of his soul, and lay up his 
treasure in heaven, I would gladly die young. But there 
are those for whom I should live ; parents and friends 
have centred some hopes in me, which I pray God I may 
not disappoint ; there are those over whom I may reason- 
ably hope, if faithful, to exert a salutary influence. And 
though I cannot yet say that my little influence has 
favoured the cause of virtue more than that of vice, I will 
not despond, since I am conscious my intentions have 
been good. In looking upon the past I have much to 
regret ; privileges have been abused, blessings slighted, 
time wasted ; yet in reviewing the last eighteen months 
there is some joy in the reflection that the wayward 
course of nature has been turned into the paths of piety. 
But O ! sin, sin still lurks in my heart, and strives to cor- 
rupt it. You, my dear parents, will pray for me that my 
faith may not fail. And may He who never slumbers nor 
sleeps guide us in the path of virtue, that life may be 
pleasant, and death delightful. 



REMAINS OF^ REV. J. W. DOWNING. 273 

TO MR. J.\MES POOL, JUN., LYNiN. 

March, 20, 1833. 

Rocks and hills may separate us, and the pressing cares 
of life may forbid an interchange of feelings, but they 
need not destroy them. Death may remove the object of 
our affections, but memory shall recall it and clothe it ia 
all the beauty and vigour of youth. Besides, there is a 
fairer w^orld beyond the grave. We need not go mourning 
like the materialist or the Sadducee, since we believe in 
the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the 
body. While death erects a barrier over which the friend- 
ship of sinners cannot pass, while the thick gloom of hell 
admits no cheering ray of sympathy, and excludes the 
beams of hope, the humble Christian knows that his 
friendship shall enter the gates of heaven ! There, my 
dear James, we hope to meet our Mary. We may not go 
together ; we may not cross the stream of death in com- 
pany, but we are travelling thither. No matter how long 
or short the road, provided it lead us to our Father's house. 
O ! let us be faithful, that we may all meet in heaven. 

" Thrice happy meeting ! 
Nor time nor death shall ever part us more." 

I cannot say that my future prospects, in which you 
take an interest, appear more flattering than when I last 
wrote you. The clouds may break only over my grave ! 
True, my brother, I have concluded that I shall be a 
Methodist preacher ; but I cannot tell whether I shall be 
well pleasing to God, and acceptable to my brethren. This 
awful question remains undecided. The thought of being 
an unfaithful minister is enough to appal the stoutest heart. 
To think of a minister appearing before God amid all the 
terrors of the judgment day, stained with the blood of 
souls, is too much for a mortal. What, O ! what must be 

. 12* 



274 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

his guilt ! Disgraced, he seeks in vain a shelter from the 
wrath of an offended Judge ! I pray that if I should en- 
gage in the work of the ministry, I may not " count my 
life dear unto myself," but may labour and toil till the 
Master shall call me home. Reasoning from the past, I 
cannot expect that the labours of a minister will permit 
me a long life. But what cause is so noble ? what so 
worthy of a man's life ? The patriot fights for his country, 
the Christian for his God. One receives his reward from 
his country, the other from his God. Still, James, I de- 
sire not to be over-anxious about the future. Thus far 
God has led me on, and I will trust in him. I fear we too 
often sin by distrusting his goodness. 



TO HIS PARENTS. 

April 1, 1833. 

During this term my feelings have been different from 
what they ever were before. This may in a great measure 
be owing to the resolution which I made at its com- 
mencement, and which, through the grace of God, I have 
been enabled in some good degree to keep, that I would 
love God more and serve him better ; that I would daily 
strive to grow in grace. I have felt a desire to act in 
perfect accordance with the will of God ; to do nothing 
which would be displeasing in his sight. I have desired 
to act so prudently that, whatever consequences might 
follow, I should not be compelled to blame myself. Upon 
all my actions of importance I have seemed to see in- 
scribed in legible characters, eternal consequences. 
And in those moments of despondency which often visit 
me, it really seems as if the thought of my responsibility 
would for ever crush me to the earth. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 275 

TO THE SAME. 

July 4, 1833. 

A few days since I went to the office, received the 
Lynn paper, and retired to my room. As my custom is, 
I first sought to learn who had passed from this to another 
world. And O ! the melancholy fact, a once-loved school- 
mate is no more. And can it be that Miss M., young and 
accomplished as she was, is numbered with the dead ? 
does the green sward lie upon that heart which so lately 
beat quick with joy, and which was so ready to sympa- 
thize with the daughters of affliction ? Do the clods 
of the valley restrain the benevolence of those hands 
which were wont to scatter blessings in the paths of 
want 1 Are those eyes closed in death which, but a short 
time since, looked forward to many and happy days ? * * 

In compliance with your wishes, I have not studied as 
much as usual this term, and have therefore had more 
time for reflection. I have reflected much upon my own 
condition, and upon the inducements to live for another 
world. The result of my reflections is, that I see myself 
to be a poor, sinful being, utterly incapable, of myself, to 
do any thing to merit the divine approbation. My only hope 
of salvation is based upon the death of Jesus Christ ; my 
chief desire is to live to his glory. How glorious are the 
motives which should incite us to regard this life only as 
preparative to another ! How glorious will be that day 
when we shall rise from the dead to " be ever with the 
Lord !" O, I often look forward to it with lively emotions 
of joy. Pray for me, my dear parents, that I may not at 
last be " weighed in the balances, and found wanting !" 

TO THE SAME. 

September 17, 1833. 

You have heard that I arrived here in safety, and you 

are probably familiar with the exercises of commence- 



276 REMAINS OF REV. J, W. DOWNING. 

ment. The three days after commencement passed heavily 
away ; nothing to interest the mind but the gloomy pros- 
pect of a hard term's study. There are times, my dear 
parents, when every thing seems to conspire to make one 
melancholy ; and never before have I known so many to 
rush upon me. My room no longer looks like former 
times ; a carpet, bureau, stove, &c., have materially 
changed its appearance ; the old bedstead alone looks fa- 
miliar. I enter it as a stranger, and feel that it no longer 
loves me, no longer sympathizes in my sorrows. I am 
now the only Methodist in the university. Far from home 
and friends, I am in a great measure shut out from the 
blessings of life and the endearments of social affection. 
A wide, unfriendly world is before me ; I am ill prepared 
to bear its neglect, ill prepared to meet its trials ; yet I 
mu&:t soon enter upon its duties. College now affords me 
a shelter, but it will soon deny it. And, as if to make me 
more unhappy still, the shortened days and howling winds 
proclaim the near approach of that season when my heart 
sinks within me. You may smile at what you may call 
the ideal miseries of life, or an imaginary tale of distress ; 
but I appeal to my brother if he has not felt all this. " All 
this ? — yea^ rnore.^^ The testimony of two witnesses, dear 
parents, is true. 

But every picture has its bright side, and so has this.. 
I feel grateful for the advantages of education, and hum- 
bly trust they will not be lost upon me. I turn my thoughts 
to you, dear parents, with emotions of joy. I prize your 
affection, which has borne with the follies and sins of my 
youth, and which so early pointed me to the grave, and to 
that region which lies beyond it. I bless that hand which, 
under God, has supplied all my wants. I cannot repay 
you for your love, nor can I discharge the debt of grati- 
tude I owe you : to God alone must I commend you ; to 
him alone can you look for. your reward. I reflect with 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 277 

fondness upon a brother's love, and rejoice in his prospe- 
rity. Other friends share in my affections, and sometimes 
occupy my thoughts ; but they do not diminish the love 
which I bear to you. No ; true affection, like the loaves 
Avhich were distributed among the five thousand, increases 
with the number of its partakers ; it may be divided, but, 
unlike many other things, dividing does not diminish it. 
I trust also that the education which you have given me 
the means of obtaining will enable me to meet the diffi- 
culties of life ; should it not make me happy, it may make 
me useful. The gloomy autumn, too, bids me look for- 
ward to happier days. While it reminds me of the frailty 
of man, and of the transitory nature of earthly bliss, it 
points me to a land of glory encircled by an everlasting 
spring. There no falling leaves tell of man's mortality, 
but perpetual verdure speaks his immortal youth. There 
no chilling winds pierce the vitals, but gentle zephyrs 
waft the songs of angels. O ! there may we dwell for 
ever. 

TO HIS BROTHER. 

October 5, 1833. 

I despise, as well as yourself, the character of a flat- 
terer ; it ill becomes the dignity of a man. And when I 
reflect how difficult it is to compliment a man modestly, I 
am surprised that so many think themselves fully adequate 
to the still more difficult task of flattery. The world seem 
to swallow adulation greedily ; but he who would praise 
a sensitive man must touch the finest sensibilities of the 
soul with fingers light as the mellow zephyrs. 

What a charm do college walls reflect upon the quiet 
scener}^ of home ! How lovely an appearance does dis- 
tance lend to an absent fireside ! We muse upon its hap- 
piness, and when the trance is over, it seems " as a dream 
when one awaketh ;" we wonder at the strange flight that 
fancy has taken, and wish its wings would never tire, its 



278 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNINCJ. 

journey never end. Thus have my feelings often prompted 
me to say, and I presume, my dear brother, you'will not 
hesitate to sympathize with me. 

Thus the very feelings of the soul prove its immortality; 
always unsatisfied with present enjoyments, it looks for- 
ward to other scenes ; it soars above the earth, and seeks 
some region where there are pleasures suited to its capa- 
cities. And here the awful question arises. Are we pre- 
paring to leave this world, and enter on an untried state 
of existence 1 Are our affections disengaging themselves 
from " the things which are seen," and fixing themselves 
upon " the things which are not seen ?" Are our souls 
daily becoming more and more fit for the refined enjoy- 
ments of heaven ? Assured I am that I cannot too often 
think of death, eternity, and judgment to come. And 
though I humbly trust I have been " born again," though 
I feel attached to the cause of Christ, and am willing to 
lay down my life as an humble defender of the faith, yet 
often do I feel constrained to say, I am not prepared to 
die. I desire so to live that I may calmly, yea, joyfully, 
expect the approach of death. Let us, my dear brother, 
never cease to bear each other in the arms of faith and 
prayer to him who shall be our Judge. 

And this reminds me of a subject on which we have 
before spoken ; that is, the ministry. What say you, my 
brother ; will you be a minister of the gospel ? In one 
of your former letters you remarked that you were not 
sure you were called to preach. In answer to this, dear 
brother, I would ask, does not the assertion, " The har- 
vest truly is great, but the labourers are few," often ring 
in your ears ? I would not urge the subject, for it is a 
matter between you and your God. Do, dear brother, 
settle the question, and inform me in your next of your 
determination. Surely there is no time for delay, for the 
church and the world are both awaiting your decision. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W, DOWNING. 279 

TO HIS PARENTS. 

October 8, 1833. 

A few evenings since I attended a meeting of deep in- 
terest. A missionary was present, who had just bid his 
parents the last farewell, and was the next day to embark 
for the field of his labours. With fervour worthy of the 
glorious cause, and with eloquence becoming the excite- 
ment of his mind, he told us his feelings on leaving his 
parents, and his thoughts while sitting for the last time in 
a New-England temple, dedicated to the service of his 
God. He asked our prayers for himself, but said he 
would willingly forget himself for the sake of the people 
to whom he was going. He urged us by all that is noble 
in the human soul, by all that is vast in eternity and glo- 
rious in heaven, to pray for the heathen. He fondly ex- 
pected to meet us again, not on earth, but in heaven. No 
tear dimmed his eye ; the cause which he had espoused 
forbade him to weep ; the hopes which he cherished sup- 
pressed every sigh. To me, dear parents, it was an 
affecting, T had almost said, an unearthly scene. I looked 
forward to the time when he would faint beneath his toils 
— when he would fall with " victory" on his shield, and 
God would say. Come home, thou servant of the Lord, 
come home ! And I thought of Liberia. An unearthly 
charm is spread over that land ; the bones of our Cox are 
there ; there is the resting-place of that saint of God. O ! 
my parents, the grave of Cox shall teach the dying negro 
a lesson which human wisdom could never teach ; his 
grave shall speak the eloquence of heaven. Age shall 
repair to it, and, as he leans upon his staff, and muses 
on the white man, shall unconsciously think of the mes- 
sage which he came to bring, and of the heaven to which 
he said he was going ; and then shall that Spirit which 
strives even with the heathen speak to his heart, and say, 
" The white man's message was truth, — believe it and be 



280 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

saved !" O yes ! the mouldering bones of the Christian 
missionary shall invigorate that barren land. 

I would not have you suppose that I expect the praise 
of men ; my talents do not merit it. I regard reputation 
so far as it can confer honour on my dear parents and 
friends, so far as it may be considered an earnest of future 
usefulness, and so far as it can subserve the cause of 
Christ. To these bounds I trust my desires may ever be 
limited. Ambitious I know I am, but I would fain believe 
that ambition is restrained by religion. 

I rejoice that I have subscribed my name to the creed 
of Wesley. I rejoice that, though unworthy, I belong to 
a church which, with the Bible in her hand, with the 
grace of God and the illuminations of uncreated wisdom 
in the hearts of her members, goes forth from conquering 
to conquer. She need not fear : enemies may rise up 
against her ; pious men, as well as the irreligious, may 
condemn her motives ; but she stands, and will stand 
while God is with her. Would I could be a champion in 
her cause ! then would I joy to be foremost in the fight, 
and bear the brunt of the battle. But no, I have not the 
talent adequate to move as a captain ! Well then, I can 
march in the ranks, and do my duty as a soldier. Many a 
soldier has saved the life of his general. But I have for- 
gotten myself; really I have written like a soldier who has 
just enrolled ; one or two skirmishes may cool my courage. 

You seem willing to admit that your minds are too much 
occupied with temporal affairs. It is strange, my dear 
parents, since the evening of life is so fast approaching, 
that you should toil so hard to lay up that which will not 
benefit you, but remain for your children. We do think 
you ought not to labour so hard ; and we rejoice that we 
can, with some degree of confidence, look forward to the 
time when we shall not daily and hourly consume that 
which costs you so much labour. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 281 

TO THE SAME. 

November 4, 1833. 

The world calls the zeal of the Christian enthusiasm, 
and teaches her votaries to laugh at it ; but I would that 
every precious sinner were blessed with such enthusiasm ! 
The death-bed would not be so often shrouded in dark- 
ness. O ! I will tell the sinner that enthusiasm like this 
will never be allayed, but will increase for ever in glory. 
I will tell him that enthusiasm like this can exist only in 
the heart of the Christian. I will warn him not to de- 
spite it, for he will one day need all the consolations 
which it can give, and all the bright prospects which it 
can create. 

I agree with you in your remarks respecting going to 
Liberia. Perhaps they were kindly suggested, my father, 
to allay the excitement of an ardent mind ; perhaps you 
thought that imagination was too predominant, and that it 
might at last prompt me to become (in appearance at least) 
a missionary. If such were your thoughts, let me tell 
you, you had mistaken your son ; never would I bear the 
missionary's standard without having in my heart the mis- 
sionary's spirit. It would be hard, too, to convince me 
that it is my duty to preach the gospel without the limits 
of my country. If I have any talents, Methodism in 
New-England needs them all ; if I can do any good, she 
tells me to do it for her. Really, my dear parents, our 
church is not in a condition now to spare many of her 
sons ; she needs them all to go through her own borders, 
and rouse her own members. She needs eloquent men 
to plead the cause of missions ; she needs strong men to 
sound the alarm, and wise men to marshal her ranks for 
battle. Our church cannot yet lay down her arms ; (alas ! 
I fear she often forgets this !) sinners are still waging war 
against God, and his requisition is, Come to the help of the 
Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. 



282 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

TO HIS BROTHER. 

November 19, 1833. 

I heartily approve of your remarks on popular applause. 
Perhaps, dear brother, I am really too desirous to obtain 
it ; perhaps I am deceived in regard to my feelings on 
this subject. I desire popularity, but that only which is 
secured by a firm adherence to truth. If b}'' walking un- 
deviatingly in the paths of virtue, if by unshrinking courage 
in exposing the follies and vices, the evils and corruptions 
of the world, I can obtain the praise of men, I welcome 
it ; but if, on the contrary, such a course of conduct shall 
but ensure their frowns, these frowns will I welcome and 
garner up as pledges of my fidelity, and an earnest of my 
reward. I ask for no higher name than that of an humble, 
sincere follower of Christ, willing to dedicate talents and 
life to his cause, and eager to hang every trophy upon the 
cross. You see then the popularity I desire. The reason 
I desire it is, that I may be the more useful ; for a popular 
man, other things being equal, must be more successful as 
a minister than an unpopular, or an indifferent man. I 
think, dear brother, I am willing to be and to do any thing 
for the sake of the glory of God, and if I can only be sure 
that I am wholly under the guidance of his Spirit, I will 
be fully satisfied. It is difiicult I know to analyze one's 
feelings, and ascertain the real character of the motives 
by which he is actuated. I feel my liability to be deceived, 
and my need of divine assistance : the only question 
which affects my mind concerning the ministry is, Are 
my motives pure and holy ? O ! my brother, what a 
question for an immortal soul to answer ! May we never 
enter the ministry with unholy motives ! 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 283 

TO HIS PARENTS. 

February 14, 1834. 
The journey of life is like that of the traveller who 
climbs a mountain that intervenes between him and his 
* well-loved home. He has reached the summit; but he 
cannot stop there to rest his wearied limbs ; he cannot 
linger to breathe the purer air, nor can he wait to indulge 
in his own imaginings, or to gaze upon the sublime scenery 
around him, and the fair picture of the world below him ; 
no, he must descend if he would reach his home. So 
man walks from the cradle to the summit of life's hill, but 
cannot stop there ; indeed, he knows not when he has 
reached it, but soon finds that he is not now ascending, 
but descending, and that too with a velocity which he 
cannot retard. Life's moon has begim to wane, but it will 
wax no more. It may be that I have already reached my 
little summit, and am now travelling down to the vale of 
oblivion. If so, improvement in piety may be expected, 
but not improvement in intellect. True, I have travelled 
but a little while, yet there are short as well as long 
journeys. A short journey may, in the wise and merciful 
dispensations of Providence, have been assigned to him 
who is incapable of performing a longer. O ! why then 
should I complain ? Be this as it may, however, dear 
parents, there is a period in the life of every man when 
he must adopt the pathetic words of the favoured forerun- 
ner of Christ, " I must decrease ;" there is a time when 
with his own hand he ^ must write upon his brow, "The 
glory is departed.'' 

But you will say this is a strange way of answering 
letters ; so it is ; I'll try now to do better. Well then, 
your kind letter was received with great pleasure ; it was 
written in a strain of melancholy which well harmonized 
with my own feelings. Not that I have become a hypo- 



284 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING, 

chondriac — I have only laid aside all gayety and imagina- 
tion, and am endeavouring to look at things as they really 
are : I have retired from a thoughtless world, and am 
holding communion with my own heart. * * * 

You speak of our once-loved Mary ; she has occupied 
a large share in my thoughts for a few weeks past. O ! 
it is well to remember her, that w^e may imitate her vir- 
tues, and grow familiar with the dead. But I cannot 
mourn for her ; for myself, for you, for alb her dear friends, 
I can mourn ; but not for her. She is happy in the un- 
clouded presence of her God. The Angel of the covenant 
has given her a harp, whose strings can never jar ; she 
sings the praises of the Lamb that was slain. O ! how 
sweet that song which echoes through the arches of 
glory ! How delightful that countenance v/hich has gazed 
upon her triumphant Saviour till it has caught his smiles ! 
How happy that heart which is free from suffering and 
sin ! Dear, departed Mary, we once called you ours ; we 
once claimed alliance to you, and thought you "bone of 
our bones, and flesh of our flesh." We lavished upon you 
our smiles and our affection. We now cherish your me- 
mory; we recall all that was lovely in the days of your 
sojourning with us, and weep in solitude over our irre- 
parable loss. We repair to the lonely grave-yard, and 
wander among the many monuments of mortality, till we 
reach that spot v/here we deposited the once living recep- 
tacle of your immortal spirit. We call to mind the cham- 
ber where you tarried, and the bed on which you lay ; we 
see you smiling under suffering, rejoicing in affliction, and 
waiting with patience the summons of your God. We 
see you die in peace, and we almost see the ransomed 
soul winging its way to glory. We place our hands on the 
grave-stone, and lift our weeping eyes to God, imploring 
a death like yours, and a seat with you on the right hand 
of the throne in heaven. O ! do not now disown us, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 285 

though you are a glorified saint! You have reached 
heaven before us. O ! how little did we once think it 
would be so ; how rarely did it enter into our minds that 
we might bury you ! But we are trying to follow in your 
footsteps, that we may share in your glory. We may soon 
reach our journey's end ; the coming spring may see our 
bodies sleeping with yours under the clods of the valley ; 
the May-flower may blossom on our graves, and the pale 
violet, emblem of life's sweetest joys and fairest hopes, 
may droop and die on the turf which covers us. O Mary ! 
will you stand in the portals of heaven with open arms to 
welcome our arrival ? Will you recognise us there as those 
who were your friends on earth ? O ! will you recognise us 
as the disciples of the meek and lowly Jesus ? Well then, 
" all is well." But can you not tell us how soon we shall 
come to you ? How long must we wait in this dull world ? 
When will the walls of our prison decay and let us out ? 
No ! you cannot tell us ! O ! then, dear Mary, we must 
still mourn our absence from heaven and all that is de- 
lightful. 

I regret, my dear parents, that you are again left 
alone, with neither of your children near to assist you. 
Such, however, is the sad condition of human life ; we 
meet to smile for a moment, and part to mourn over " days 
of absence." I trust, however, that when you bid adieu 
to your sons, you do it under an impressive sense of the 
uncertainty of meeting them again on earth ; while you 
feel that you yourselves are travelling to the grave, you 
remember that they may reach that bourn before you. 
O ! you must not forget that this is possible — yea, pro- 
bable. 



286 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

TO THE SAME. 

March 5, 1834. 

In a previous letter, my dear parents, you speak of 
several things which are very interesting, to which I 
will now recur. You seem to console yourselves with 
the thought that your sons are better prepared to meet the 
storms of life than you yourselves were. I can here 
speak only for myself, and I would tell you all my feel- 
ings. I realize that the time is fast approaching when I 
must engage in the busy scenes of life ; college walls will 
soon turn me out upon the wide world, prepared or unpre- 
pared. I must breast the torrent, and stand ready to meet 
life's roughest surges. I feel too that I must do this 
alone ; no mortal hand can support my head, should it 
sink beneath the billows.- I must depend on my own de- 
rived power ; yes, derived power, for it comes from God. 
I feel grateful for the privileges with which I have been 
blessed, but it yet remains to be proved whether they will 
increase my happiness and usefulness ; the result alone 
can tell whether your labour, which has been so kindly 
lavished upon your son, will have been lost, and whether 
all your fond expectations will fall to the ground. ! I 
pray your hopes may all be realized, and that yoi may 
live to see your sons growing up to be ornaments in the 
church, and blessings to the world. 

You say, too, that you are conscious you are travelling 
to the grave. Yes, so it is ; you have been travelling for 
some years, and you have gone over a tiresome road ; the 
" rough ascent," rather than the '^ flowery slope," has been 
your lot. Still, your journey has, thus far, been a safe 
one ; you have, through the great mercy of God, been 
blessed with prosperity and comfort. Surely we must 
conclude that your journey is more than half completed. 
O ! how do you feel when you think of this ? I trust you 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 287 

have no harassing doubts, no misgiving fears, but that 
you are filled with confidence and peace. Rely upon the 
Saviour, and he cannot leave you. We must soon go ; 
yes, we must meet death ! There is no escape — no by- 
road to heaven — no door to glory but the grave. Well 
then, let us nerve ourselves for the conflict ; it will soon 
be over. Here the sinner parts with his last friend, and 
the Christian with his last enemy ! Yes ! fainting Chris- 
tian, death is thy last foe, and thy Lord hath overcome 
even him. " Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth :" 
the Christian's God hath slain the Christian's last foe ; 
for he entered into the strong mavbS house^ and hound him^ 
and spoiled him of his goods. Well, my parents, this is 
consolation. When I think of dying I cannot but weep ; 
I do not fear the consequences, for I believe that, though 
unworthy, I should go to heaven ; but to think of the 
dying struggle — of the separation between soul and body 
— of the last, deep-drawn breath — O ! 'tis dreadful. Yet 
the precious Redeemer will give grace to support us ; if 
we are faithful to him now, he will not desert us then, 
and leave us to find our way alone " through the valley 
of the shadow of death." 

I am sorry, my dear parents, you are so anxious about 
me ; you seem unwilling to believe your own son. If I 
were sick, should I not tell you ? Never have I given you 
cause to say " No" to this question. I wish you always 
to think of me as well and happy ; and if I say nothing 
respecting my health, consider me well. 1 cannot make 
this subject " a prominent part of my letter," for I have 

but little to say I do not study hard, and I think I 

am now in a fair way to recover my health again, and to 
be better than ever before. I am very much encouraged 
in regard to my health, and the only thing which I fear is, 
that it may hurt me to preach much after I get through 
college. I am determined, however, not to worry about 



288 RlfiMAlNS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING, 

this, but to leave it with God. And now I really hope 
you will be perfectly satisfied. 

It is, my dear parents, one of the most delightful days 
I ever saw ; the sky is unclouded, and the breezes of 
heaven are pure and exhilarating ; how sweetly they fan 
a sinful world ! All around is lovely, and speaks of a fast- 
coming spring ; all is well calculated to make the heart 
happy, and to inspire it with ennobling views of the 
Author of nature. Yet I am not very happy ; I remember 
that this day's sun sees me twenty-one years old. Can 
it be, dear parents, that I have lived so long and done so 
little ? O ! there is not one consoling reflection connected 
with my birth-day ; there is not one thought which can 
cause a smile to flicker on my countenance. My life 
hitherto has been made up of inconsistency and folly, and 
small indeed is the prospect of amendment. Your son 
is too proud, too ambitious, too desirous of the esteem of 
men. O ! I wish I were perfectly holy and humble ; were 
I so, there would be reason to think that I might become 
a blessing to some souls. I dare not go over the events 
of my past life ; they would stare me in the face, and fill 
my soul with horror ; I know their sum full well, and it 
is admirably expressed in the words of the wise man, 
" Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity." My dear father and 
mother, accept my sincere thanks for all your care and 
kindness. You have done all to make me blessed that 
the kindest parents could do ; you have laboured assidu- 
ously to make me useful " in my day and generation." 
I can only thank you on this my birth-day, but God knows 
my heart ; would I could open it to you ! but I cannot. 
I must leave this subject — my tears will not allow me to 
proceed. For all, for ail your kindness I thank you ; this 
is all I can do, and I shall never be able to do more. 
I wish I could hope to meet your expectations, but I can- 
not. Forgive, my dear parents, all my errors, and may 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 289 

God bless you ! Oil will ever " commend you to him, 
and to the word of his grace ;" and may the prayers of a 
disconsolate, sinful son be heard in heaven and answered 
on earth ! I am still your Wells ; O ! then do not forget 
to pray for me that I may be humble, holy, and useful. 



TO THE SAME. 

March 20, 1834. 

I would not have you think, dear parents, that because 
I cannot be all that I would wish, I am discouraged. Far 
from it; I expect to live long enough to show to those 
around me that money and labour have not been entirely 
thrown away upon me. I expect to show that my soul, 
though marred by sin, has some native energy left. I ex- 
pect the assistance of my God ; and blessed with this, no 
affliction, no calamity, no mortal, shall cramp my energies 
or cause me to fear. I feel firm and resolute, perhaps too 
much so for a young man ; I am well assured I shall not 
die without exertino- some influence which shall be felt for 
ever. I need not be instrumental in saving one soul, to 
defend my life from the charge of uselessness. No — 

'* If I one soul improve, I have not lived in vain !" 

Sad, indeed, must be the account of that man who cannot 
conscientiously say that he has exerted some beneficial 
influence upon some being with whom he has been asso- 
ciated : with what a faltering step and fainting heart must 
he descend to the grave ! O ! how can he appear before 
his Judge, unappalled, and answer for the improvement 
of those talents which were intrusted to his care ? 

I wish to feel that I am in the path of duty, that I may 
" have always a conscience void of offence ;" I would 
constantly have the consolations of God's grace, which 
are " neither few nor small." I am well assured that the 
minister of the gospel must have trials and difficulties 

13 



290 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

which do not fall to the lot of other men ; he must expect 
hours of gloom and sorrow when no ray of earthly hope 
shall pierce his soul, and no beam of earthly joy light up 
the dark scenery around him. At such times he needs a 
firm hold on heaven, and an unshaken confidence in his 
God ; nothing else can support him and clothe his coun- 
tenance with smiles ; nothing else can make him resigned 
in his afflictions, and prepare him to give his account 
with joy. Surely he who engages in the holy ministry 
does it at the peril of his immortal soul ! Let him, then, 
count well the cost, and see whether he can pay it. Let 
him remember, that if the final result of his labours shall 
show that he rushed uncalled into the field, it will also 
show that he has with his own hands barred the gates of 
heaven against himself! How awful must it be to be sent 
from the pulpit to hell ! — to leave this world in the cha- 
racter of an " ambassador for Christ,^' and to appear in the 
other as a servant of the devil ! The wailings of a damned 
spirit must always be iadescribably awful ; but how much 
more so when coming from one who, when on earth, en- 
deavoured to warn others, and induce them to join in the 
songs of angels ! For my own part, I cannot but view 
this subject with solemnity; I cannot think of it but with 
deep emotions of soul. I am willing to engage in the 
cause of Christ as a minister, and to make every sacrifice 
for its advancement ; I am willing to stake upon it all that 
I love, and all that I value upon earth. Upon it all the 
energies of my soul are concentrated, and I am ready to 
go forward. But I want more confidence in God, more 
piety of heart, more evidence of the reality of my call. 

I rejoice that, in reviewing the past and recurring to 
the days of my childhood, you feel yourselves at liberty 
to call me " a dutiful son." This surely is one of the 
greatest consolations I can have. I have endeavoured for 
some time past to perform all the duties devolving on me, 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. t91 

but how far short I have come is best known to God. I 
feel, however, a great satisfaction in knowing that I have 
tried to do right. 



TO HIS BROTHER. 

Lynn, April 11, 1834. 

My Dear Brother Elijah, — ^Your kind and very in- 
teresting letter of the 26th ult. was received on the 28th, 
and read with great pleasure. I had concluded that I 
should not hear from you again till my return home, and 
of course was disappointed, and, as you may rightly sup- 
pose, agreeably so. It did not cost me so much trouble 
to get your letter as it did you to obtain mine ; I think I 
would not have waddled through the mud twice to pay 
18f cents for such a poor thing as mine was. This, 
however, was your misfortune. 

Quite a compliment you pay me for my " neat apology" 
for the want of interest in my last ; pray, brother, where 
did you learn to pass jokes ? How long an apprenticeship 
did you serve ? I don't remember what that ** neat apo- 
logy" was, and therefore shall not make one at this time, 
lest it should be only a repetition. To be honest, I think 
you succeeded very well in making a proem to your 
epistle, and you will no doubt thank me for giving you 
the opportunity. I hate this apologizing in the beginning 
of a letter, however, and will not practise it longer. I aijpi 
not much in a writing mood, to be sure, but then, if my 
letter have any merits, Elijah will perceive and appreciate 
them ; if it have none, it is as well for me to say nothing 
about it. 

I recollect that when you have written to me from 
Lynn, you have descanted largely on the delights of 
home. Now, 'tis not so plain that I can succeed as well 
as you have done, but I'm going to try it. Don't l^iughv 



292 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

now, for 'tis no laughing matter. Well then, dear brother, 
after a tiresome examination and a sound sleep, I started 
for home on the morning of the 4th instant, and, through 
the goodness of God, arrived safely in the evening. I 
found our dear parents as glad to see me as they ever 
before were. I took off my hat and cloak, and right glad 
was I to seat myself in our well-remembered sitting-room. 
I soon found that the smiling countenances of those who 
are so dear to us possess a magic charm in alleviating 
the pains with which these bodies are so often afflicted, 
and in banishing that fatigue which so effectually mars 
our enjoyment. There is something passing fair in the 
artless glance of friendship, and in the expression of the 
eye which beams with affection ; there is something in 
them which can cause the mourner to wipe away his 
tears, and the wanderer to banish his complaints. O ! they 
tell of a soul within which not only participates in joy, but 
sympathizes in grief; they tell of something too pure to 
spring from the clods of selfishness and sorrow, and point 
us to a brighter region whence they derived their origin. 
They prove that something yet remains to show man's 
lofty descent and high destiny ; and while they lead us to 
deplore his fall, they teach us to admire what few traces 
of his original glory are left. They lead us to hope for 
an era, when time shall have ended her journey, and lain 
down amid the ruins of the universe, when the soul shall 
expand in a region suited to its nature. O ! how cheering 
to look beyond the skies to realms of bliss, to forget the 
sigh of despondency and the anguish of grief, to turn 
away from suffering and sorrow, and gaze on joy fair as 
an angel's smile, and enduring as the throne of Jehovah. 
How little of joy do we experience in a world whose 
every gale breathes the sad notes of grief; whose fount- 
ains of happiness are tainted with sin, and whose streams 
are poisoned by misery and death ! Were it not for home, 



4 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. ^ 293 

the sacred asylum of love and the fond retreat of inno- 
cence, we should be utter strangers to every thing which 
bears a semblance to celestial joy ; we should not have 
powers sufficient to imagine some remote place in the 
boundless universe of God where sorrow would never 
intrude. But ah ! blessed as we are with facilities for 
the exercise of the imagination, we are lost in endeavour- 
ing to fathom the joys of heaven. O ! if there be any 
thing which shows the degeneracy of man, it is the 
feebleness of his intellectual, and the disease of his moral 
powers. 

When I look upon the world I wonder at its folly ; it 
uses every means to entice man from the path of duty, 
and it is, alas, too often successful ; but the wretched be- 
ings who are enticed, are deceived by outward appear- 
ances, and, when once deceived, press forward in frantic 
rage after something to satisfy their wants, and make 
amends for past disappointment. The great cause of 
wonder however is, that men are continually devising 
new schemes of pleasure, and promising themselves new 
sources of happiness, though well assured that they must 
all end in vanity and vexation of spirit. Indeed, my dear 
brother, the whole history of the world up to the present 
moment has been a reductio ad ahsurdum ; and such it 
must continue to be till God shall change the nature of 
his government, or till the world, laying aside its wicked- 
ness and giving up its enmity, shall consent to do as God 
commands. O ! how foolish that this world, which has 
been formed by God, should rebel against him ; that this 
world, which is upheld in existence by the power of its 
Creator, should refuse to acknowledge his power, and be 
grateful for his kindness ! How strange that a world, 
which voluntarily involved itself in the eternal conse- 
quences of guilt — consequences more awful than man can 
conceive — that a world which has been redeemed by the 



tii REMAIJfS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Son of God without its even asking for mercy, or putting 
forth one effort to avert the storm of wrath, should, after 
all, refuse to look to the Saviour for instruction. And 
since a glorious way to eternal life has been opened 
through a region which was pregnant with death, since 
ihe light of heaven shines upon it with more than earthly 
splendour, how passing strange that this world, lifted up 
in proud conceit of its own wisdom, should refuse to walk 
in that way ! But so it is, my brother ; it is stubborn, 
undeniable fact. We are in so foolish and wicked a world ; 
but God grant it may be the better for our existence. We 
have a great work to do in it ; we must not only flee its 
snares and withstand its allurements, but must also wage 
an open and exterminating war with all its vices. Our 
Master never intended that we should pass through the 
world without exerting some influence upon it ; without 
leaving upon, it the impress of our own hands. He hath 
also so constituted us that our influence cannot be neutral, 
but must tell either in favour of virtue or of vice ; it must 
cause either sorrow or joy in the breasts of the damned 
in hell ! What say you, brother, are you ready for th 
contest 1 True, it will be a desperate one ; we may be 
wounded in the very first attack, and we must fall in the 
struggle. But what of this ? God shall fight with us, and 
we shall fight for him ; the contest will be glorious, and 
the reward eternal ! 

The events of the last term were, as you will readily 
suppose, of an unusually interesting nature. True, the 
revival of religion took place among another sect of the 
disciples of Jesus than that to which we belong ; yet 
when God comes forth in his power and glory to open the 
eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, all 
those minor distinctions which men make disappear as 
the morning dew. Then 

** Names, and sects, and parties fall ;" 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 295 

then the mind is elevated to contemplations of a glorious 
character ; it leaves the opinions of men, and repairs to 
the source of wisdom; it grows dissatisfied with things 
of earth, and pants for the fulness of Him who is " all in 
all." God knows but one distinction among men — all are 
saints or sinners ; or, to express the sentiment in the glow- 
ing words of the poet, — 

" Earth makes distinctions which Heaven laughs to scorn." 

During the revival we have good reason to believe that 
about twenty-nine students were gathered into the fold of 
Christ ; my own class shared largely in the grace of God. 
It was not the dull student who turned from his sins, but 
the active and the talented ; indeed " the flower" of the 
irreligious part of our number were hopefully converted. 
It was glorious, I assure you, my brother, to see my class- 
mates and fellow-students humbling themselves before 
God, repenting of their sins and submitting to Christ ; it 
was surprising to see the power of God manifested in 
their humility and eagerness to be taught the way of truth. 
The skeptic renounced his infidelity, and the proud his 
self-righteousness. There was, however, no undue ex- 
citement ; the enemies of the cause acknowledged that 
they could not reproach us with this ; every thing was 
done with moderation and solemnity, and awe seemed 
especially to rest upon us. When the calm hour of even- 
ing arrived, you might hear the voice of supplication and 
prayer ascending from many a room which had before 
resounded with the loud laugh and the licentious jest. O ! 
how much of heaven seemed to be concentrated in a place 
which was before a stranger to such scenes of piety and 
love. And when the bell called us together to unite in 
worship, O ! how good it was to hear the once bold blas- 
phemer tell of love divine and heaven begun on earth ; 
then the sinner trembled, and the Christian prayed ; then 



296 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

the song of praise arose from lips which ne'er before had 
lisped the Saviour's love. Those were glorious times ; 
how gladly would I dwell upon them, and labour to de- 
scribe their blessedness ; but time would fail me. 

Mrs. W., wife of our president, died on the evening of 
my departure from Providence ; she had been sick for 
several weeks, and her death was not unexpected. She 
was very pious, and has doubtless gone home to glory. 
When all hope of her recovery had failed. Dr. W. was 
almost inconsolable ; he kept his room, and spent the time 
in praying, and reading the word of God. It was affect- 
ing to see a man like him, a man who could grapple with 
difficulties, and toil, and suffering, weeping at the pros- 
pect of bereavement ; and O ! how well it showed that 
the greatest minds are the most sensitive, the most feel- 
ingly awake to sorrow. On the evening of her death, 
however, and for many days previous, he was resigned 
and composed ; his own words were, " My trust is in 
God." 

Rest assured, my dear brother, we remember you with 
much affection ; you hold a warm place in our hearts, and 
ever will while they beat with life ; we cannot forget you 
if we would, and we would not if we could. We remem- 
ber you in the laughing circle of joy, and in scenes of 
solitude and silence ; we remember you at early morn, 
and at closing day. We remember you at the throne of 
grace, and implore Heaven's richest blessings to rest upon 
you. * * ^ 

Excuse mistakes, and believe me to be, as ever, dear 
brother, your affectionate 

Wells. 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 297 

TO HIS PARENTS. 

Randolph^ Mass.j July 13, 1835* 
I suppose, my dear parents, you will not think it strange 
when I tell you, my thoughts often revert to home ; my 
mind often, very often, fastens itself upon those endear- 
ments which render it so lovely, and clings with tenacity 
to the remembrance of the kindness and affection of the 
few who will never forget their Wells. You know me 
too well to think that I shall ever forget you, ever cease 
to love you ; and I hope you will still believe that, 
wherever my wanderings on earth may lead me, my eye 
will always be directed toward the home of my childhood; 
my father's house shall be the first object on which my 
vision shall rest with satisfaction as I wind my way 
toward it, and it shall be the last from which I will with- 
draw it with pain as I leave you. " Leave you" — Yes, I 
must say so, it has been already done. Yes, I am now 
upon the ocean, and there is no return ; I have really 
taken a final leave of home, for from henceforth the wide 
world must be my home. True, I hope often to visit you, 
but I must as often bid you adieu. O ! my parents, is it 
so ? Has Wells left his home no longer to be to him an 
abiding resting place ? Yes, you answer me, unless 
Providence otherwise order. W^eli then, let us be calm 
about it — let us not murmur, for such is life. We have 
lived together long and happily — far longer, far more hap- 
pily than mortals usually. 

TO HIS BROTHER. 

Randolph, September 25, 1835. 

I cannot, dear brother, describe the feelings which 

agitated my breast when I gazed upon your very pale 

countenance as I returned home. So different was your 

appearance from what I expected to find it, that I was 

13* 



298 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

really horror-struck; in spite of all my efforts, the big 
tears filled my eyes, and would fain have rolled in tor- 
rents down my cheeks. I really, for a few moments, 
repented that I had returned ; the scene was so changed, 
that it seemed to me I could not endure it. That deathly 
paleness was so different from the roses which my ima- 
gination had painted on the cheeks of my brother, that my 
eyes could scarcely look upon it. But hope, that sweet, 
heavenly messenger, soon smiled upon me ; I dried up 
my tears, and from my soul rejoiced in the privilege of 
seeing my brother, and of endeavouring to add to his com- 
forts. O yes ! dear brother, it is a privilege to behold our 
friends, however changed may be the circumstances of 
their existence ; a brother's heart is still a brother's heart, 
with all its warm affections, whether it beat in a vigorous 
or a sickly body, whether its earthly receptacle be clothed 
with the splendour of wealth or the rags of poverty. Af- 
fection is ever the same amid all the chansres which the 
beings that cherish it undergo in passing from the cradle 
to the grave ; it may sometimes fasten itself on unworthy 
objects, and be compelled to relinquish its hold, but it is 
still the same in its nature and tendencies. 

My visit was a very pleasant one, though the thought 
of your sickness rushed in upon my mind in my happiest 
moments, and subtracted much from my enjoyments ; in- 
deed, it gave to them all a pensiveness which excluded 
every thing like gayety ; it caused a feverish restlessness, 
which told of something of sorrow even in joy. For the 
first time I began to reflect upon the prohahility of your 
decline and death ; I had before considered the possibility 
of such an event, but not the probability. I need not de- 
scribe the painful feelings which such a reflection caused. 
My brother believes I love him tenderly, and should weep 
bitterly were he taken from me ; he knows I should be a 
" real mourner," if real mourners there are on earth. Why 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 299 

then stop to tell my feelings to him ? I could not help 
weeping several times as I thought of you, and even Mary 
Ann has borne witness to my tears. And I wept on my 
way hither, and have wept since I arrived here. But this 
is all wrong, brother, and 1 am trying to correct it. You 
may be restored to health again, as many others have 
been, and live long oji the earth to win souls to Christ ; 
yes, you may live to bury me. And suppose what I fear 
should take place, I ought not to murmur, nor give way 
to my feelings so as to unfit me for the duties of life ; for 
God, our heavenly Father, orders all things in mercy to- 
ward us. That special providence which numbers even 
the hairs of our heads surely does not overlook the mo- 
ments of our lives. Our days are numbered not by blind 
fate, but by a kind and all-wise God. And I fondly hope, 
dear brother, that you are prepared even for the hour of 
death ; that, should it be the will of God to call you 
hence, you have a good hope through grace of entering 
into " the promised land," there to enjoy the immediate 
presence of that Redeemer *' whom having not seen, you 
love." O yes ! I trust that every day your assurance of a 
blessed immortality grows stronger, so that you can even 
now say with the apostle, " We know that if our earthly 
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- 
ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens." I trust you feel that though to live would be 
Christ, yet to die would be gain. O ! my brother, still 
" live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved [you,] 
and gave himself for [you ;]" your conflict has not yet 
passed, therefore still " watch and pray." Should God 
see fit to call you hence, I wish to be with you, to behold 
you dying in the full triumph of Christian faith ; I wish 
to follow you as far as human vision can, and then I'll 
believe that Mary meets you and conducts you home. But 
hold — I have said too much on this subject. 



300 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

Think not, dear brother, that I have " given you up," 
because I have said so much of dying ; you know I love 
to converse on this topic ; I court familiarity with it, that 
when death shall visit me I may treat him not as a stran- 
ger, but as an acquaintance. Happy will it be for us if 
his visit do not alarm us ; thrice happy if we can consider 
him as a friend. Instead of giving you up, my brother, I 
hope your health will be fully restored ; still I cannot but 
feel that there is a fearful uncertainty brooding over your 
case, and I wish that we all may be prepared to do and 
to suffer all God's holy will. But I'll leave this whole 
subject for the present, hoping that, before I ^shall write 
to you again, your health may be so fully restored that I 
shall revert to it with far different feelings. Yes, dear 
brother, God grant that when we meet again we may look 
back upon your present illness as the sailor looks back 
upon the rock which he has safely though narrowly 
escaped ; and may the retrospect produce watchfulness, 
carefulness, and gratitude. 

You are. aware, Elijah, that my situation here is not a 
very pleasant one ; there seems to me but little probability 
of my being useful. The church appears to desire popu- 
larity more than holiness ; it seems anxious to gain 
accessions from such as are rich in this world's goods, 
rather than from those who are " poor in spirit." Rachel 
said, " Give me children, or else I die." Children were 
given her, and she died in child-birth ; thus what she 
thought could alone perpetuate her life, caused her 
death. I think my people say in their hearts, (as I can- 
not but think they say by their conduct,) " Give us a rich 
society, or else we die." God may in judgment hear 
their prayer, and thus they may be destroyed. Sodom 
was not consumed till Lot had escaped its confines. I 
do not indeed possess the piety of Lot, but still I hope not 
to be destroyed, even if my people are to be. I am willing 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 301 

to labour with them so long as the conference wishes, 
and think I can make myself contented ; yet I desire to 
witness with mine own eyes the fruits of my labours. 

Since I have been engaged in preaching, my religious 
enjoyments have been greater than before. Still I often 
fear lest, after having " preached to others, I myself should 
be a cast-away." I feel the need of more piety to make 
me both useful and happy. I want a more watchful and 
prayerful spirit ; more of a spirit of meekness, charity, 
and self-sacrifice. I really believe, dear Elijah, that it is 
harder for ministers to live as they ought, than for private 
Christians ; the former are so continually engaged in 
sacred things, that they are in danger of losing sight of 
their solemnity and importance ; religion being, as it were, 
the business of ministers, there is danger lest they think 
of it as of other business pursuits. Do you not think 
there is some truth in this ? If so, how very careful and 
prayerful should ministers be ! I often try to preach to 
myself the same sermons I preach to others, and I feel 
that they produce some good effect upon me. O ! pray 
for me, that I may be instrumental in my own salvation, 
and in that of many immortal souls. 

What a blessed thing it is, my dear Elijah, that w^e are 
travelling from earth to glory ; the very thought is quite 
sufficient to buoy us above all trials and affiictions. O ! I 
bless God from my very soul when I reflect, that not only 
those of our family who have made the cold grave their 
bed have made heaven their home, but also that those of 
us who still survive are trying to bend our steps to that 
blissful land. And I expect we shall all reach it in safety, 
and there " rejoice, no wand'rer lost, a family in heaven." 
O ! how happy an eternity shall we there spend together ! 
What joy is there in this life if the hope of eternal life be 
blasted ? Why weave the sacred ties of friendship, if 
death must for ever sever them ? Why bind around our 



302 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

hearts the strong cords of love, if the cords must so soon 
be broken, and loved ones part for ever 1 O ! it is the 
thought of immortality that renders the sweets of friend- 
ship so fascinating, the ties of affection so endearing. 
The Christian looks on his friend, the partaker of " like 
precious faith," and exultingly exclaims, " That which 
loves now will love for ever." I rejoice that so many of 
our friends are Christians, but I want them all to become 
such ; let us both labour and pray that they may be, and 
then we'll be joyful in the hope of meeting them all in 
glory. O ! I have of late felt a very strong desire for the 
conversion of all our friends, knowing how much religion 
would increase even their present happiness. How much 
reason have v/e to bless God for our early conversion ! 

TO MISS MARY ANN MUDGE, LYNN. 

Randolph, October 2, 1835. 
Your remarks upon religion were very good, nor were 
they in the least " tinctured with melancholy." I rejoice 
that you are blessed with deep religious feelings which 
influence your daily conduct, and that your principal hap- 
piness results from piety of heart. Never think, my dear 
Mary Ann, that you shall weary me by conversing on re- 
ligious subjects, or that I shall ever grow tired in reading 
details of your religious experience. The most valuable 
knowledge you can ever communicate is respecting your 
growth in grace ; the best news you can tell is respecting 
your religious enjoyments. O that your whole family 
were partakers of the grace of life ! I have of late felt 
a wonderful desire for the conversion of your father and 
brother, and have tried to breathe forth that desire in 
prayer. I love them too well to behold them with indif- 
ference, living without the comforts of religion. O that 
they would be persuaded to " taste and see that the Lord 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 303 

is good !" Mary Ann, can you not summon up resolution 
enough to converse with them on the subject ? Methinks 
they would not turn a deaf ear to your affectionate en- 
treaties. They must by and by part with us, and we must 
part with them, to meet not again " till the heavens be no 
more ;" and what can render that parting scene tolerable 
but the fond anticipation of meeting, to part not again, in 
glory ? And can we now cherish this anticipation, and 
derive from it those pleasures which it always adds even 
to present enjoyments ? The ties which bind us to them 
are strong, and must the grave for ever sever them ? O ! 
tell me they are Christians, and I forbear all further in- 
quiries. Let me but know they love the Saviour, and I 
will rest in hope of greeting them with joy on the shores 
of eternal deliverance. But till then this poor heart can- 
not cease from anxiety. O ! my dear Mary Ann, can it 
be indeed true that we are Christians ? Shall we " wear 
the white robe and the victor's crown ?" Shall we be the 
associates of angels, the companions of cherubim ? Shall 
we be like the Saviour ? like him in purity, in happiness, 
in glory 1 O my poor soul, how canst thou bear the thought 
of so much felicity ? Why are not all thy faculties de- 
stroyed, when thou reflectest on this " far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory ?" Why, O ! why dost thou 
not incessantly break forth into rapturous songs of praise ? 

TO THE SAME. 

Salem, December 31, 1835. 
How painful, my dear Mary Ann, to reflect that this is 
the last day of the present year ! When a few more mo- 
ments shall have passed away, the shades of evening 
will gather in around us, and form the pall in which the 
old year will be wrapped in quiet and eternal repose. Few 
will behold its burial except the silent moon and twinkling 



304 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

stars, and none will sing the mournful dirge or perform 
the funeral rites. 

O ! how much of suffering has it witnessed in its silent 
course ; how many tears has it beheld, how many sighs 
and groans has it heard! It has gazed on earthquake 
shocks, on battle fields and pestilential plains ; on help- 
less orphans, disconsolate husbands, and mourning widows. 
It has seen rent asunder the dearest ties which bind the 
heart to earth, and been an unmoved spectator of the de- 
struction of life's fairest hopes and sweetest joys. 

How much of joy has it beheld in new-made ties of 
friendship, in hearts lately warmed by affection's kindling 
beams, in the endearments of the social circle, and in the 
never-failing delights of pure religion ! Familiar hath it 
been with every form of happiness and wo. And O ! on 
how many immortal souls has it seen stamped their end- 
less destiny ! How many has it seen carried by angels' 
wings to heaven, how many dragged by demons to hell ! 
Has one year witnessed all this ? Ay, more ; language 
fails to describe, and the soul to conceive, the half of one 
short year's events. What varied emotions, then, must 
fill the soul when pausing to look back upon it ! 

Let us review our own lives during the past year. O ! 
how much cause for joy and gratitude, for sorrow and 
repentance. How unfaithful have we been in the cause 
of God, and how little have we grown in grace ! I trust 
that you have not been so negligent as your Wells ; but, 
at the best, how long and sad is the account of our un- 
faithfulness ! 

How full of mercy and loving kindness has the year 
been to us ! No wasting disease has enfeebled our bodies. 
We have not been called to follow our dear friends to the 
grave, nor to weep over their despairing death-beds. 
Though we have not rejoiced over the conversion of some 
of them, we have not despaired of it, nor have we sat 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 305 

down to mourn in hopeless grief. Poverty, with its evils, 
has been to us a stranger ; insanity, with its despondency 
and frenzy, has been far from us. The endearments of 
social life have clustered around us, and affection has 
shed its mild radiance upon our path. Religion has re- 
strained us from outbreaking sins and spread joy through 
our souls, and bright visions of heaven have cheered us 
amid all the trials and temptations to which we have been 
exposed. Surely goodness and mercy have followed us 
all the days of our life. Why, my poor soul, art thou not 
" lost in wonder, love, and praise ?" O ! let us, my dear 
Mary Ann, lift up our united thanksgiving to God, and let 
it be " mingled with penitent tears." 'Tis meet we should 
close the dying year with some act of pious devotion, and 
bid it adieu with holy joy and chastened grief. 

But the coming year ! What changes will it work in 
us and in our families ? O fearful question ! O awful 
answer ! *' Thou knowest not what a day may bring 
forth." Cease, vain speculations, hush, idle imaginings ! 
Let us not seek to draw aside the veil which conceals 
futurity, but calmly wait till all things shall be present. 
Let us hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Let 
us be entirely devoted to God, and then " whether we live, 
or die, we are the Lord's." Then all will be well, whether 
*' storm or sunshine be our earthly lot, bitter or sweet our 
cup." We may, however, consistently wish that the 
coming year may be as exempt from sorrow, and as full 
of joy, as the past has been. "Take from my lips," then, 
my dear Mary Ann, " the wish of happy years." Enjoy 
for years to come all the sweets of competency, and all 
the blessings of health ; all the delights of social life, all 
the joys of ardent, reciprocated, constant affection, and all 
the raptures of pure religion. Enjoy an approving con- 
science, a reconciled God, and the pleasure of doing 
good. Enjoy that happiness which would result from 



306 RExMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

seeing all our mutual friends coming home to God, and be- 
coming happier in body, mind, and estate than ourselves. 

TO THE REV. ABEL STEVENS, BOSTON. 

Salem, January 7, 1836. 
1 am very sorry, my dear brother, to hear of your indis- 
position, but cannot say I am surprised. I really think 
you labour too arduously ; the subjects on which you 
preach are of the most exciting nature, and calculated 
to call into vigorous exercise all the faculties of the mind ; 
you speak of them at length, and thus protract a menta] 
excitement which must necessarily prostrate all your 
physical powers. Indeed, it seems to me that every young 
man must now pursue such a course to some extent, if he 
would be greatly instrumental in the hands of God of 
building up the cause of Christ. The age of cool, dispas- 
sionate preaching, has passed away, and an age of excite- 
ment has succeeded. Solemn and important truths, un- 
less treated in a bold and imposing manner, produce but 
little effect on the hearts of men. Many there are who 
will even sleep when the great tragedy of eternity is re- 
hearsed before them, unless they can almost behold the 
manifestations of the wrrath of God. They will smile 
when beholding the scene on Calvary, unless he who ex- 
hibits it shows an intensity of feeling with which they 
cannot trifle. They will deliberately ridicule descriptions 
of future blessedness, unless there be something in them 
which almost irresistibly arrests their attention ; and this 
something must be the result of a lively, but holy imagina- 
tion, and a deeply feeling heart. Does not your own ob- 
servation confirm these statements ? If so, there is an 
absolute necessity of natural talent, thorough mental dis- 
cipline, and ardent piety in all who fight the battles of the 
Lord ; there is need also of continued effort, constant and 
deep thought, and daily increasing zeal and piety. And 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 307 

what more is necessary, dear brother, to break down these 
feeble bodies, especially when the demand for such labour 
will not allow us the requisite rest ? He who thus labours 
ought to lay aside, for a time at least, his mental faculties, 
and vegetate, if he would secure long life. 

I wish more of our ministers would realize the demands 
of the age, and resolve to supply them. O that they would 
lay aside for ever their skeleton books, and their volumes 
of printed sermons, and devote their time to deep and 
patient thought ; that they would use commentaries less, 
and their own brains more ! Our congregations would not 
then so frequently anticipate their preachers in the division 
of their subjects ; there would then be more originality ; 
we should hear " thoughts that breathe, and words that 
burn." The desk would then assume as elevated a station 
as it held when Paul preached at Athens ; men would 
hang upon the ministrations of the pulpit, and drink in the 
words of eternal life ; and Zion would appear to her ene- 
mies, " terrible as an army with banners." But that glo- 
rious day has not yet arrived ; God grant it may speedily 
come. Will it come, however, till we shall awake to the 
emerorencies of the times 1 till we shall be willino: to de- 
vote our all to the work, and " come up to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty T" Yet after all we must be as 
careful of our health as possible. I know of but one 
course to take — when we preach, to do it with all our 
might, but not to preach too frequently. 'Tis better to 
preach one warm, well-digested sermon, than a dozen 
cold " milk and water" ones. Let me then beg you, my 
dear brother, not to preach too frequently. Bishop Hed- 
ding and brother Otheman have instructed me on no 
occasion to preach more than twice a day, and I have 
always obeyed. 

I rejoice very much, dear brother, in your success in 
the ministry, and in the recent outpouring of the Spirit 



308 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

upon yourself and church. It must surely greatly en- 
courage and quicken ministers to see the Lord blessing 
their humble efforts. In this respect you have been 
highly favoured. I once thought I might be proud should 
God make me instrumental in the conversion of many 
souls, but my views of late have been changed ; nothing, 
I believe, would more tend to humble me. God has 
blessed my efforts here in the conversion of a few souls ; 
seven or eight have been hopefully converted, and some 
are now serious ; still there is great need of a revival. 
The loner and harassinor difficulties with which this church 
has been perplexed have been to her enemies an occasion 
of reproach, and to her own members (apparently at least) a 
curse. Whether the day of her deliverance will ever come, 
God only knows ; but if it come at all, we may reasonably 
believe it hath already dawned upon her. Her night hath 
been long and dubious — may her day be bright and glo- 
rious ! If in any place on earth we may learn the sad, 
sad effects of lukewarmness and disunion, we may learn 
them in the church in Salem. Would to God she might 
profit by bitter experience ! If we w^ould behold the folly 
of building chapels before prospects warrant it, and of a 
settled ministry in a travelling connection, we need only 
look at Salem. Let us not, however, indulge in censures, 
but rather learn how loe may avoid such difficulties. 
Happy shall we be if, warned by others, we ourselves 
are not betrayed into similar errors. 

I cannot, dear Stevens, speak of religious enjoyments 
as great as yours, but can say that I believe I am ad- 
vancing in piety. I feel more and more my own sinful- 
ness, the willingness of God to bless me abundantly, and 
the preciousness of religion. I want to be the Lord's in 
life and in death. I have satisfied myself that ambition 
does not prompt me to effort, and that my motives are 
such as God approves. The work of tl:s ministry ap- 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 309 

pears desirable, though arduous and awfully responsible. 
I am resolved to be more holy, and to labour after a full 
conformity to the mind of Christ. Still pray for me and 
the people of my charge, that " Holiness to the Lord" may 
be inscribed upon us. 

TO HIS BROTHER. 

Salem, January 12, 1836. 
Your details were all very interesting, though they 
forcibly reminded me of that " bad way you have with 
you," viz., imprudence ; why, my dear brother, will you 
so often suifer yourself to be led thoughtlessly on to the 
hazard of colds, and, by consequence, sickness ? Re- 
collect that striking sentence quoted in the " Diary of a 
Physician :" — " A slight cold" — " omnium prope quihus 
affligimur morhorum origo et quasi semen^ Your colds are 
peculiarly to be feared, for they speak the language of 
death — early ^ premature death ; they utter their solemn 
warnings in the hollow, prophetic cough ! They point 
US, your dear friends at home, to the turf which covers 
the cold, mouldering remains of a once lovely and be- 
loved Mary ! They point significantly too, and sometimes 
almost succeed in telling us, that we may soon be called 
to mark the lonely resting-place of another, and almost 
the last branch of our bereaved family. And O ! dear 
brother, a melancholy reflection it is which now rests 
heavily on my mind, and which I hardly dare express. 
The thought of these death-like coughs sometimes causes 
us to fear that we may go to our grave -yard in vain to 
search after the relics of Elijah, for they may turn to 
dust in " foreign parts." Let not any, even the slightest 
imprudence, make your resting-place the stranger's grave, 
to which our affection may never bring the simple but 
touching tribute of tears ! Whenever you are tempted to 
be incautious, think of your friends ! Dear brother, regard 



310 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

our love, and let it speak through every whistling wind, 
every gentle rain ; let it show itself in the clouds of noon- 
day, and in the vapours of twilight. You may, by the use 
of those means which Providence has afforded you, by 
prudence and the blessing of God, be again restored to 
perfect health. For this you hardly need be assured we 
all daily pray. But if the boon be in mercy denied us 
and you, still we would receive an answer to our further 
petition — a petition which affection for you, as well as 
regard for ourselves, prompts us to offer the Father of 
mercies — " May you die among your kindred /" There is 
in this cas.e, brother, another agency between us and 
God : it is your carefulness. We appeal, then, with great 
propriety to you, and ask, in the language of affection, 
Will that agency be propitious ? We know your answer ; 
for there is a cord which binds together kindred souls, 
and which vibrates to all their feelings. 

We were very glad to hear of your kind reception 
among the Methodists at the south ; it must be a great 
source of comfort to you, while exiled from the dear ones 
of home, to find kind and warm friends in the stopping- 
places of your pilgrimage : — 

" The thread of your life would be dark, Heaven knows, 
Were it not for friendship and love intertwined." 

May friends multiply around you in every step of your 
wanderings ; and may the flowing streams of gratitude, 
as they gush forth from the deep fountains of your heart, 
but add fresh life to all their kindness ! How is it, bro- 
ther, do strangers share in " Christmas gifts ?" I some- 
times wish that I were rich, that I might experience the 
happiness of conferring favours : and 

" The quality of mercy is not strained ; 
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 
Upon the place beneath : it is twice bless'd ; 
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes." 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 311 

I suppose the various circumstances in which you are 
placed give you full scope to gratify your favourite pro- 
pensity of paying special attention to children. Well, 
scatter blessings in your path. Strive to enjoy yourself 
as well as you can, and remember you are the child of 
many prayers. 

TO THE SAME. 

Salem^ February 6, 1836. 

Our happiness much depends not only upon the pos- 
session of friends, but upon being permitted to live near 
them, and enjoy the endearments of social life ; yet we 
little realize this till separated from each other. To the 
Christian, however, there is much consolation in the re- 
flection that his Saviour is an omnipresent being, knowing 
no separation from his people which material objects can 
cause ; that to him he may go in every varying circum- 
stance of life, and express the desires of his inmost soul ; 
that to his merciful protection he may commit all his in- 
terests, and to his constant and unearthly love commend 
the objects of his affection. How consoling to think that 
the Saviour sympathizes in our suflferings, and makes 
them tolerable by the kind assurance that they work to- 
gether for our good! Never, then, dear brother, give w^ay 
to despondency while you claim for your friend an om- 
niscient and omnipresent being ; never imagine yourself 
alone in your wanderings, while he directs and accom- 
panies you ; never murmur, since you know that for you 
he bore suflerings the most extreme, even the wrath of 
an offended God ! 

I love to dwell upon the retrospect of our past inter- 
views, though it is as the music of Carril, "like the 
memory of joys that are past, pleasant and mournful to the 
soul." Our lives have been much like a dream since we 
left college ; they have been short, but momentous ; the 



312 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

scenes they have witnessed have changed as rapidly as 
the fleeting visions of the night. It is upon this portion 
of our career that I love to linger ; you have seen me at 
one time a student, and then a minister of the gospel, 
wielding the delegated power of God's servant ; and thus 
have I seen my brother. I have looked upon him as no 
unimportant actor on the stage of life ; but alas ! I have 
seen the curtain fall, and have retired within the scenes 
to see him prostrated on a bed of sickness. .... I some- 
times fear, dear Elijah, that we have taken our last leave 
of each other, and that I shall see your face on earth no 
more. In troubled dreams have I seen you wan and 
emaciated, and night's couriers have even brought to my 
ears the tidings of your untimely end ; and then, O ! then 
our parting hour heaves full in view its scene of fraternal 
wo, its stifled feelings, its suppressed sighs, its forbidden 
tears. But I will not augment feelings already excited, 
but rather leave this topic by again commending you to 
the protection of an ever watchful Providence. 

I sympathize with you, dear brother, in your aflliction, 
and especially in the subdued grief which an abandonment 
of your holy calling must cause. To be thus suddenly 
removed from the walls of Zion must appear to you mys- 
terious and painful. We hoped that your health would 
be strong enough to endure the toils of the watchman's 
station, that your constitution would grow firmer under 
hardships, and that you might rise high in the esteem of 
God and man ; all this, and more, was the desire of your 
friends. Providence, however, seems slow in granting 
our desires, and instead thereof has appointed your lot 
among those who travel in search of lost health. To me 
this affliction is perhaps doubly trying, since I had ex- 
pected much from having a brother in the same field of 
labour, whose principles and plans were inseparable from 
mine, being matured under a father's roof in the same 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNmCJ. 313 

hour of trial and deep resolve Again, your affliction 

is very grievous to me, not only because a brother's heart 
is touched with keenest sorrow, but also because your fate 
may be prophetic of my own. I try to be very careful, 
but still labour causes great prostration ; my health is, 
however, pretty good, and, so far as I am capable of 
judging, my lungs are as tough as leather ! The difficulty 
which I fear most is mental excitement. Yet God can 
spare me as long as he sees best ; he may have suspended 
you for a season only, to increase your usefulness. But, 
dear brother, don't preach till your cough and hemorrhage 
have gone ; I think you were imprudent in preaching so 
soon ; I will not, however, write a lecture on this subject, 
as I gave you a long one in my letter of January 12th, by 
which I fondly hope you will greatly profit. Don't pass it 
over as an occasional performance, but reduce it all to 
immediate practice. 

I am noT; captivated with Mr. C.'s manner of preaching ; 
think him theatrical. But he has been the instrument of 
much good, and I esteem him for his talents and piety. 
He is a zealot in the best sense of the word, and to this 
fact may be justly ascribed his popularity. Notwithstand- 
ing man's depravity, if he go to church at all, he will go 
where he can feel something ; hence warm-hearted, zealous 
speakers, are generally popular. 

" Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adflent 
Humani vultus." 

TO THE SAME. 

Salem, March 10, 1836. 
I realize that it is not a blind and unrelenting fate which 
separates kindred and friends, but a kind and watchful 
Providence. 

" There's a divinity which shapes our ends, 
Rough hew them as we may." 
14 



314 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

That same Providence will bring lis together again if we 
submit implicitly to its directions ; we may not meet on 
the shores of time, but we shall in the " spirit-land." I 
take sweet pleasure of late in my full belief in an over- 
ruling Providence ; I can often say that I rejoice in trials, 
and sorrows, and sufferings, for by faith's piercing eye I 
see their gracious design ; I watch their varied opera- 
tions, and see sometimes their blessed results. I thank 
God that he has made a dispensation through the blood 
of his dear Son, in which trials operate as the refiner's 
fire ; in which sorrows act as causes to produce glorious 
effects ; and in which sufferings lose their bitterness in 
the sweets which they distil. The idea of probation is a 
sad insinuation against man's moral character, but it gives 
wide scope to infer glorious things respecting the charac- 
ter of our God ; it is a doleful chorus to the songs of time, 
but it will be a sweet symphony in the pealing chants of 
eternity. 

TO THE REV. ABEL STEVENS. 

Salem, May 14, 1836. 
'Tis now Saturday morning ; the work of preparation 
for the sabbath is nearly completed, but my mind is not 
in the happy frame I could wish. Our long conversation 
at Holliston has, however, afforded me both instruction 
and consolation, and I believe it has been the means of 
leading me to entertain new and delightful views of God 
when I bow before him in prayer. I can frequently real- 
ize him in the character of a kind Father, and feel a per- 
fect freeness in unbosoming myself to him, and in hanging 
upon his almighty arm. Still I very much doubt whether 
I shall ever on earth possess the feelings which you so 
vividly describe as your own, for I still believe that con- 
stitutional differences in the mental powers affect our 
religious as well as our earthly enjoyments ; and while I 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 315 

would congratulate you on the attainments which you have 
made and are still making in holiness, I too would press 
forward to obtain all the mind that was in Christ Jesus. 
I trust I am serving God from principle, and with the as- 
sistance of his grace I would persevere in his service, 
though no spark of enjoyment should be given me in the 
whole course of my pilgrimage. I would follow Christ, 
though every step of my progress should be marked by my 
blood. A crown of righteousness will be an ample com- 
pensation for every suffering, and the sight of Jesus as he 
is will banish for ever the remembrance of all earthly 
afflictions. How admirably calculated are visions of 
eternity to reconcile us to the storms of time, to wean our 
aflections from earth, and to make us willing at any mo- 
ment to depart and " be ever with the Lord." 

I am trying, brother, to be as careful as possible in 
regard to my health, studies, &c. I do not write my ser- 
mons ; I write only a full analysis. You seem to have 
supposed that all my sermons are written and committed. 
Let me tell you, my good brother, I have not written out 
a sermon for more than a year. I intend, however, to 
write several this summer, if health and time permit. 

TO THE SAME. 

Salem, July 1, 1836. 
I rejoice, my brother, in the thought that I am engaged 
in the ministry of Christ. Notwithstanding the many 
difficulties which I find within and without, the awful 
weight of responsibility which I feel resting on me, and 
the many toils and sufferings inseparably connected with 
the ministry, I wish to continue therein. I would not, 
unless circumstances should render it absolutely neces- 
sary, give up the cause for all the world. There is such 
joy arising from the consciousness of discharging duty, 
and from beholding its effects in the conversion of imraor- 



316 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

tal souls, that it more than outbalances all the suffering. 
There are such sweet anticipations of the blessedness 
of that day when we shall have finished our embassage, 
and returned our commission, that the soul feels itself 
perfectly happy. And there are often such bright visions 
of glory, that we feel willing to be " strangers and pilgrims 
on the earth" — willing to encounter one dark and conti- 
nued storm, if at last the unclouded sunshine of heaven 
may break in upon our spirits. O ! how blessed to be a 
minister of Jesus Christ ! Happy am I in his love, and 
happy do I expect to be to all eternity. 



TO THE SAME. 

Salem, January 31, 1837. 
Dear Brother Stevens,-— After so long a silence, I 
have seated myself to converse with you for a few mi- 
nutes ; and yet, brother, I am so very weak that it is 
painful to hold a quill in my hand. About twelve days 
ago I was very suddenly afflicted with sickness ; I cannot 
tell the nature of my complaint, nor assign any satisfactory 
cause for it ; but I had a very strange and violent cough, 
and a very severe attack of fever. By the use of medicine 
and the blessing of God I am now slowly recovering, and 
hope in a few days to go on in the discharge of my usual 
duties. I have no disposition to murmur at any of the 
dispensations of Providence, but I frequently regret that 
I cannot labour more assiduously in the great vineyard of 
the Lord, and that this poor body hangs so often like an 
incubus upon the soul. 'Tis painful now to sit in my 
room while my flock need my visits, and while some of 
them are drawing near unto death. But, believing as I 
do in a special Providence which sometimes orders events, 
and sometimes permits them, I can bow down in very 
cheerful submission. Surely he who watches over all 



REMAINS OF REV.* J. W. DOWNING. 317 

will not permit any thing to befall me which will not, if 
properly improved, result in my happiness and usefulness. 
How full of comfort and consolation, ray dear brother, is 
the blessed religion which we have embraced ! How does 
it guide us in prosperity, and buoy us up in adversity ! 
To what deeds of noble daring does it nerve these timid 
souls, and urge us on through fire and flood to our resting- 
place in the skies ! The love of God burning in the soul 
is a mightier incentive to exertion than the proudest fires 
ambition ever kindled. Heaven with its glories is a more 
enchanting, more alluring vision than imagination ever 
beheld. O ! I glory in a religion which has such pure 
and thrilling stimuli, such bright and fascinating scenes. 
I glory in that which thus elevates the soul above its 
fallen condition, which calls into exercise its slumbering 
energies, which rekindles its deathless fires, and assimi- 
lates it to the image of those spotless spirits who wait 
around the throne of Infinite Holiness. My longing de- 
sires are stretching themselves forward to that glorious 
period when I shall be permitted to join with them, and 
when every faculty and every energy shall be constantly 
and fully exerted in doing the will of God, as it is done in 
heaven. Blessed be God, these desires may all be satis- 
fied, for sinners shall have access to the holy place when 
washed in the blood of a crucified Redeemer ! The mantle 
of a Saviour's righteousness shall introduce its wearer to 
seraphs and archangels, with them and with his God to 
hold communion for ever. 

February 1. 
I am very glad you were favoured with the opportunity 
of hearing Dr. W. before the Phi Beta Kappa Society at 
Cambridge. I do think he is one of the most original and 
talented men in our country. He has the finest power of 
description of any man I ever knew. His talent, too, la 



318 REMAINS OF RE^. J. W. DOWNING. 

sanctified and dedicated to the cause of Christ. Should 
his life and health be spared, he will yet do very much 
for the cause of leaniing and religion. What think you 
of his delivery ? It is very peculiar, but not very fasci- 
nating, and yet it is impressive ; it always produces great 
effect upon literary men, perhaps from the fact that its 
strength is adapted to his style of thinking. There is 
something in an enlightened and vigorous mind which 
commands the respect of all men, however diminutively 
they may speak of intellectual acquirements ; what a 
powerful engine, then, in the hands of piety for revolu- 
tionizing a sinful world ! God grant that the time may 
soon come when genius shall be laid upon the altar of 
religion, and consecrated unreservedly to her service ! 

Fehmary 3. 

Yesterday I ventured out to see two of my flock who 
are on the very borders of the grave ; the effort, with the 
excitement, overcame me^ and I was obliged to lie still 
for the remainder of the day. I have this moment re- 
turned from another visit to one of these sick friends, but 
feel so well that I am resolved to attempt finishing this 
letter. I love to visit the dying when they feel prepared 
to go; there is something melting and soothing in the 
chamber of death which is found nowhere else. There 
is too something to me so fascinating that I hate to leave 
the place, but rather feel like bowing down to God, and 
thanking him for the privilege of dying. I know not how 
I shall feel when called personally to contend with death ; 
I doubt not that dying will be quite a different thing from 
what I now deem it ; but I expect to depart in peace. 

One of the friends of whom I have just spoken is the 
most talented woman I ever saw. She is a mother, and 
every earthly prospect told of usefulness and bliss. But 
O ! Consumption, that destroying angel sent forth to cut 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 319 

down the fairest and loveliest of our race, has blasted all 
but hopes of happiness in heaven. She was hopefully 
converted under my labours, and bids fair in a few hours 
to die in peace.* The other friend too is a Christian, and 
has long been a member of our church ; she too is happy 
in view of her departure. Brother Stevens, I feel happy ; 
for, sinful and unfaithful as I have been, I think I have 
positive evidence that I have not lived in vain. To reflect 
that very soon one immortal spirit will enter paradise as 
a seal of my poor ministry, and, if I prove faithful, will be 
as a star in my crown of rejoicing, O ! 'tis glorious ! 'tis 
well nigh overwhelming ! My heart cries out. Can it be 
that God has so richly blessed thee ? O ! what incent- 
ives, drawn from death-bed scenes, and from visions of a 
future world, urge us on as ministers of the gospel to be 
faithful in our holy calling ! 

I sometimes feel quite provoked in drawing near the 
end of a letter, to think the all-absorbing topic has been /. 
Time will not allow a review of this, but my impression 
is that it will appear to you very egotistical. Well, my 
good brother, 'tis too late to amend, and you must make 
due allowance for that peculiar state of body and mind, 
which turn's one's thoughts almost entirely upon himself; 
when I write again I will strive to do better. How do 
you get along now ? How are your health and spirits ? 
Sometimes I hear very favourable news of you, and then 
again I hear you labour too hard, and are bringing your- 
self prematurely to the grave. But after all it is to be 
confessed, I don't fully believe all I hear ; it will not do 
to take the face of notes of hand now-a-days ; we must 
make deductions on account of the state of the market. 
They are prone to tell hard tales of me now and then ; 
some are even bold enough to talk to my face of suicide, 

* The first sermon in this volume was preached on the occasion of 
the death of the individual who is here referred to. — Ed. 



320 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWxNING. 

&c. And yet the sober truth is, dear Stevens, that with- 
out labour, hard and persevering, nothing can be accom- 
plished. So far as excessive toil is concerned, I am will- 
ing to answer at a higher bar than that of public opinion. 
I wish from my soul that no harder charge than this could 
be brought against me. But / think of misspent hours, 
of time wasted upon trifles, and squandered away in idle 
day-dreamings. What think you of the business transac- 
tions of the day ? the " line speculations," exorbitant pro- 
fits, combinations for raising the price of provisions, and 
reducing the price of labour ? Ought not the pulpit to 
thunder against them, rather than connive at them? 
Ought it not to specify them as sins ? Ought it not more 
than ever to warn men against the love of money ? I 
think so, and act accordingly. I enjoy much in preaching 
the truth, and some of the Salem aristocracy call me radi- 
cal ; but they don't say I am more so than the Bible. 

TO THE SAME. 

Salem, Oct. 19, 1837. 

I was in hopes you would have finished your tour in 
season to be present at the commencement of Brown Uni- 
versity. Ax the solicitation of some of my friends, rather 
than from the promptings of my own inclination, I visited 
my Alma Mater on that occasion, and took the second de- 
gree ; but I really don't see that I am any more honoura- 
ble than I was before, nor did the cumbrous load add any 
thing to my bodily weight. I cannot grow fleshy, and 
don't see but I must Avear leaden shoes, if I Avould weigh 
more in the scale of existence. 

My health is nearly the same as when I last saw you, 
and I am fully convinced that if I continue studying and 
preaching as at present, (and how can I do otherwise ?) 
it will never be much improved. It has been poor for 
seven years at least. I study no more than my age and 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 321 

my calling require, and feel fully satisfied that I shall 
never fall a victim to unhallowed ambition. 

For some time past, dear brother, I have taken sweet 
enjoyment in the service and love of God. Religion never 
seemed sweeter to me than at present. I want to live 
wholly to God, and become perfectly conformed to the 
image of my adorable Redeemer. My prayers seem very 
often to enter the ears of my Father, and his blessings 
distil upon me like the evening dew. O ! what is there 
like religion ? what like living by faith ? May God help 
us both to be faithful and holy, and take us at last to 
heaven ! 

TO MISS MARY ANN MUDGE. 

Salem, December 9, 1837. 

How happy they whom Providence has brought together 
to share each other's friendship and affection ! And yet 
how few realize that Providence has had any thing to 
do in the disposing of their lot, — in the mingling of that 
cup of earthly comfort which is pressed to their lips ! Let 
us acknowledge God in all our ways, and he will direct 
our steps. 

I am very glad, my dear Mary Ann, that I can write to 
you at this time, for I wish to converse plainly Avith you 
on some subjects on which I frequently feel unwilling to 
trust my lips. You too will reflect upon them in a diflfer- 
ent way, as the sound of my voice will not interrupt your 
meditations. I doubt not you have frequently reflected 
upon your future lot, and in full view of it, have decided 
both upon the way of duty and the path of pleasure. But 
never is it amiss to review the ground over which we 
have passed, and decide anew upon the course which we 
must take. Happy shall we be if, after all our eflforts to 
ascertain our duty, we meet with the approval of our 
Judge. 



14 



322 , REMAINS OF REV. J. \V. DOWNING. 

More than ever, Mary Ann, am I convinced that the 
life of a minister is one of hardship and toil, and that his 
companion must expect privations and sufferings. No 
mere earthly consideration could reconcile me to the 
thought of leading such a life, or of permitting one whom 
I so tenderly love to share with me in its sorrows. What 
can I 'expect as my portion here but labour and sacrifice ? 
What better can I expect for the friend of my bosom ? I 
am the professed ambassador of that Saviour whom this 
world hates, and whom it once crucified ; the servant of 
that God against whom earth has risen up in proud rebel- 
lion. Can I suppose that the world will smile upon me ? 
that upon me it will lavish its favours ? O no ! the ser/ant 
is not above his Lord. If I am faithful to my Master and 
devoted to his cause, the world must hate me. And O ! 
it hath a thousand ways of manifesting its cruel hatred. 
The best that can be looked for is, that it will only crown 
me with thorns. True, the blessed Saviour has his friends 
even in an enemy's land ; he has a church established, 
which shall finally triumph over all opposition. But this 
church often fails to uphold and protect its ministers ; be- 
numbed by selfishness and sin, it sometimes forgets them, 
and suffers them to falter and die. Have you not, Mary 
Ann, seen with your own eyes enough to convince you 
of the truth of these remarks ? Can you wonder then that 
I dare not look at this world, lest my heart should faint 
within me ? Can you be surprised that I so often beg you 
to consider, how much your affection for me will cost 
you ? how large the price which you must pay in acts of 
self-denial ? Cruel indeed should I be, did I not frankly 
tell you all ; strange would be that affection which would 
lead to deception, where so much is at stake. 

Remember, too, that Wells is a Methodist minister. We 
are united to a denomination which has always been de- 
spised by the gay and fashionable world ; a denomination 



REMAINS OF REV. J. \V. DOWNING. 323 

which is feeble in its means, scanty in the support it 
grants its servants, and whose peculiar economy subjects 
to peculiar inconveniences and numerous trials. This is 
what it now is, but what it may soon become, God only 
knows. The " spirit of reform" may, in its rapid pro- 
gress, soon divide and disorganize us. Then Downing 
will be throwm on his own resources, and his wife must 
share his lot, whatever it may be. I am preparing for 
such an emergency, and expect not to be surprised by 
any event of this nature. You too, my dear Mary Ann, 
should reflect on such possibilities. Your affection, I 
doubt not, will brave the roughest storms of life, but O I 
will your heart faint ? 

I have tried to count well the cost of my course, and I 
hasten onward to finish it with joy. I believe that God 
has called me to preach the gospel, that he will abundantly 
bless my labours, and finally reward me. I have no de- 
sire to engage in any other work, but wish ever to be 
found preaching " Christ crucified." With divine assist- 
ance, I am resolved to be ^' faithful unto death," to make 
every necessary sacrifice without a sigh, and to count not 
my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course 
with joy, I look to heaven, and see enough there fully to 
reconcile me to all that I must suffer. I muse upon eter- 
nity, and ! its boundless duration, its untold riches, its 
inconceivable joys, allure me to duty. This, Mary Ann, 
is the briorht side ! Thank God, there is a bright side to 
this picture — so bright that not all the shades of earth 
and sin can darken it. Say, my dear Mary Ann, does it 
seem equally bright to you ? Does it reconcile you to all 
that is discouraging and gloomy in the path before you? 
Does it prompt you to walk in this path, though so thickly 
strewed with thorns ? O say, does the voice of duty 
chime with that of affection ? Does the voice of heaven 
harmonize with the language of love ? But why should I 



324 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

dwell on this subject longer? You are ready to decide. 
I have dwelt thus long because I could not avoid it ; you 
know I must tell you all my thoughts, and all my feelings. 



TO THE SAME. 

Boston, June 29, 1838. 
My Dear Mary Ann, — After a pleasant ride I reached 
the famous *' city of notions." Found brother Daggett 
very happy to see me, and very willing to anticipate my 
wants and gratify my wishes. The oppressiveness of 
those thoughts of responsibility, of which I have so fre- 
quently spoken since my appointment, has begun to wane, 
and I am consequently in a frame of mind better suited to 
the discharge of my arduous duties. And yet I do not 
know that I ever before could say with deeper emotion, 
** Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak ; for I am a 
child." When I reflect that men are greatly influenced 
by first impressions, and that these impressions may be 
unfavourable to me, I can hardly find courage to put forth 
my first efforts. But I remember that God sees all my 
feelings, and knows all my wants ; that he will take care 
of me, if I will but rely on his protection, and will give 
me that kind and degree of favour in the eyes of Israel 
which will best promote his own glorious cause. O that 
I may ever be found at the cross, receiving instruction 
from my blessed Redeemer, and drinking in that meek 
and lowly spirit which will prepare me both to do and to 
suffer all that may seem good in his sight ! You need 
not be told that such is the prayer which I would beg 
you, and all my dear friends, to ofier in my behalf to the 
throne of grace. I doubt not that every swiftly passing 
day witnesses the breathing forth of many prayers for me ; 
but O ! that the number and fervour of these petitions 
might be increased. Who can tell how rich the blessings 



REMAINS Of REV. J. W. DOWNING. 325 

they may procure for me, and for my dying fellow-men ! 
I do prize these prayers, and to my latest hour shall re- 
member with gratitude all who offer them. How often, 
since my conversion, have I thought that I might have 
been called to seek the favour of God, in answer to the 
oft-repeated prayers of a now sainted mother. And O ! 
if the dear parents whom heaven has still spared (perhaps 
chiefly for our good) reach " the better land" before me, 
will they not there be permitted to see, as they never 
before could have fully conceived, the happy result of 
training up a child in the way he should go ? I would not 
deprive them of the glorious vision, but since time cannot 
dim its eternal colours, nor vary its unchanging shades, I 
would pray that they may still dwell with us, to cheer, 
and guide, and bless us. 

TO MISS SARAH PURBECK, SALEM.* 

Boston, August 30, 1838. 
My Dear Miss Purbeck, — In compliance with your 
request communicated to me by your cousin Matilda, I 
write you a word or two to serve as a memento of 
my past visits to your humble but pleasant habitation. 
Pleasant indeed has it been to me, for there have I sym- 
pathized with the suffering — there have I pitied the af- 

* The individual to whom this interesting letter was written is em- 
phatically a daughter of affliction. For the last ten years she has been 
confined to her bed by an affection of the spine ; during this whole 
period she has been subject to the most violent convulsions, nor has 
she been conscious of one moment's relief from the most excruciating 
pain. One who has not visited her can have no just idea of her suffer- 
ings, and words cannot describe them. Yet she is patient, resigned, 
and happy ; the preciousness of Christ is the theme on which she de- 
lights at all times to converse, and it is pleasant to be with her, so 
bright is the manifestation of the Saviour's presence to sustain and 
comfort her even in the deepest distress. — Ed. 



326 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 

flicted — there have I, as I humbly trust, met with our 
common Lord and Saviour. I have been near you since 
leaving Salem, but circumstances prevented my calling ; 
no circumstances have, however, prevented my thinking 
of you with lively emotions of sympathy. I shall forget 
you only when my pulse shall have ceased to beat my 
death-march to the grave. God grant that when this 
defile shall have been passed, we may be marshalled in 
heavenly order, under the great Captain of our salvation, 
on the fair plains of eternal deliverance ! Be patient, 
Sarah, and soon you may enter into that rest which re- 
maineth for the people of God. 

I have heard of your recent afflictions, and have not 
forgotten to feel for you. " Many are the afflictions of 
the righteous ; but the Lord delivereth him out of them 
all." May you be a witness of Jehovah's continued faith- 
fulness and infinite love ! 

My situation is pleasant, but its duties are very arduous. 
Often am I at the bed of sickness and in the house of 
death. But if I may be useful I will not complain. Re- 
member me kindly to your mother and to our friends. 
But I must leave you to God, and affectionately bid you 
adieu. 

As ever, your friend, 

J. W. Downing. 

TO MR. OLIVER A. MUDGE, NEW-LONDON, CT. 

Boston, March 5, 1839. 
Permit me to congratulate you most heartily on the 
change which God's grace has wrought in your heart. 
O ! it is an untold blessing ! Better will it be for us in 
the hour of death, and better is it now to love God with 
all our hearts, than to be in possession of all the honours 
and treasures of earth. These are fleeting, but God's 
love is everlasting. Had I time, I would try to give you 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 327 

some advice suitable to your present situation ; a hint or 
two, however, must suffice. 

1. Let it be your daily effort to grow in grace. To this 
end, all your principles and practices must be in accord- 
ance with the doctrines of the gospel. Arrive not hastily 
at any conclusions — depend not too much on any man's 
teachings — but, study the Bible carefully and prayerfully. 
You must also maintain constant communion with Him 
who is the fountain of religious life and light. 2. Arrange 
every plan and item of business, not by the business code 
of morals, but by the law of God. Now you can do it 
easily. Depart not from this law for your life ! Be 
assured conscience should have as much to do with your 
business as with your prayers. 3. Resolve, with divine 
assistance, to be an eminent Christian. We have reason 
to fear that many but just retain the life of God in their 
souls, and are content to " be saved, yet so as by fire.'' 
But it is an awful problem whether such will not be lost ! 
4. Let nothing interfere with religion, or divide your 
heart. Philanthropy and benevolence may do it in this 
age as effectually as positive and forbidden sins. Con- 
sider, Oliver, that no works are acceptable to God which 
are not the fruits of faith, and the results of Christian 
love. I hesitate not to say, for the incidents of these 
days will fully justify me, that you must watch lest even 
abolition zeal divide your heart. The assertion may be 
revolting to you, but I commend it to your prayerful con- 
sideration. 5. Be careful in your choice of religious 
companions. You need great caution here, for all may 
not be fit to guide you in the way of life. . . . But enough. 
My best wishes for your welfare, dear Oliver, and my 
fervent prayers that you may be directed into all truth. 



328 REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 



TO HIS BROTHER. 

Boston, April 29, 1839. 
My Dear and only Brother, — Strange and inexpres- 
sible are the feelings of my soul as I preface this letter 
with its fond, but lonely-breathing epithet. Were I urged 
to couch them in language for the apprehension of a 
stranger who had lived far from the busy haunts of men, 
and one unacquainted with the gushings of natural affec- 
tion, I could only tell him that they are analogous to his 
own emotions as he gazes on the setting moon. Indeed, 
Elijah, I know not the heart that beats which would not 
be affected by the contemplation of our lot. The family 
from which we sprung has gone — the tree which bore us 
has been cut down — the saplings which it nourished are 
no more — and we are waiting but the sweep of the same 
scythe to complete our destiny. I never think of this 
subject without painful emotions ; they are, however, so 
tinctured with solemn joy that their native character of 
melancholy is lost, and they are so numerous, that when 
I try to give expression to one, another takes its place, 
till all within is hurried and confused. I shall never try 
to describe all the feelings to which affliction has given 
rise ; no ! let the bosom which has been their birth-place 
be their hermitage, till it shall become their grave. But 
which of us, dear Elijah, shall live to bury and mourn the 
other, is an inquiry I am more unable to answer than re- 
press ! It is an interesting one, notwithstanding the gloom 
which is gathered around it. O ! passing strange will be 
the feelings of the survivor — wild and dreary his emotions ! 
But I forbear, my brother ; this strain of melancholy 
musing is ill adapted to your situation, circumstances, 
and nature. 

There are lights amid the gloom. All is still right — 
nay, all is still good! Our heavenly Father has not 



REMAINS OF REV. J. W. DOWNING. 329 

afflicted us willingly, but for our profit ; every stroke of 
suflering is a visit of mercy. O ! we would sometimes 
choose our own lot, but such a choice would be the 
blighting of our dearest hopes, the blasting of our fondest 
expectations. 'Tis well for us that Jehovah marks out 
our path ; and if we shall be permitted to enter the courts 
of glory, we shall see mercy and love on every page and 
in every line of the book of Providence. 

I have sometimes thought, when reflecting on the death 
of Christian friends, that heaven and earth are nicely- 
adjusted scales ; and that when the Saviour sees earth 
too much preponderate, he kindly removes a friend to 
heaven, that the scales may be for ever turned. 

I have been very feeble since I wrote you, till within 
two or three weeks, and my people feared I was going 
into a decline. Dr. Snow says I must be very careful, or 
I shall find myself in a consumption ! I shall be very 
careful, and leave it all with God. I have no heart to 
worry about it. My speech on the death of Dr. Fisk was 
made when I was very sick, and I consider it one of my 
happiest efforts. My labours are very arduous, and I have 
scarcely a moment which I can call my own ; church 
business, calls, studies, visits, &c., make up a minister's 
life here. Whether I shall be returned to Boston or not, 
I cannot tell ; such is my state of health, that I should 
not wonder were I removed. My church are apparently 
very desirous of my returning, and they would have given 
me a vacation some time since, had I desired it ; but con- 
ference will soon sit, and the question will then be settled. 
. . . . But adieu, dear Elijah, and believe me to be as ever 
and as afl'ectionately your only brother, 

Wells. 

THE END. 



GENERAL CATALOGUE OF BOOKS, 

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ADVICE TO A YOUNG CON- 
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Leroy M. Lee $0 75 

ALLEINE'S ALARM and BAX- 
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ADDRESS TO SEEKERS OF 
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BARR'S COMPLETE INDEX 
AND CONCISE DICTIONARY 
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BIOGRAPHIES. 

LIFE OF REV. J. WESLEY. 
By Richard Watson, with Transla- 
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LIFE OF DR. ADAM CLARKE, 

3 vols, in 1, 12mo. sheep 1 50 

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LIFE OF REV. J. FLETCHER, 

compiled from the Narrative of Rev. 
Mr. Wesley, the Biographical Notes 
of Rev. Mr. Gilpin, from his own let- 
ters, and other authentic documents. 
By Rev. Joseph Benson. i2mo. 75 

LIFE OF MRS. FLETCHER, 
cimsort and relict of Rev. John 
Fletcher, compiled from her journal 
and other authentic documents. By 
Rev. Henry Moore 75 

LIFE OF REV. DR. COKE, 

including in detail his various travels 
and extraordinary Missionary exer- 
tions in England, Ireland, America, 
and the West Indies ; interspersed 
with numerous reflections. By Sam- 
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LIFE OF REV. FREEBORN 
GARRETTSON, compiled from his 
printed and manuscript journals, and 
other authentic documents. By Na- 
than Bangs, D. D. 75 

LIFE OF LADY DARCY MAX- 
WELL, compiled from her volumin- 
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other authentic documents. By Rev. 
John Lancaster 1 00 

MEMOIR OF SIMON EPIS- 
COPIIIS, the celebrated pupil of 
Arminius, and subsecjuently doctor 
of divinity and professor of theology 
in the University of Leyden ; who 
was conden\ned by the Synod of 
Dort as a dangerous heretic, and 
sentenced to perpetual banishment 
by tut; civil authorities of Holland 
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redemption. To which is added, A 
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EXPERIENCE OF SEVE- 
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PREACHERS, with an account of 
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MEMOIR OF MRS. MARY 
TATH AM, late of Nottingham. By 
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CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY, vol. 
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containing the Life of Isaac Watts, 
D. D., and of Mr. Thomas Halibur- 
ton, ISmo. 50 

vol. 2, containing the 



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vol. 3, containing the 



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vol. 4, containing the 



Life of Rev. Samuel Pearce, of Rev. 
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vol. 5, containing the Life 



of Archbishop Cranmer, and Bishop 
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MEMOIR OF THE LIFE AND 
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MEMOIRS OF THE REV. DA- 
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correspondence, ISmo 50 

MEMOIR OF THE LIFE, 
CHARACTER, AND LABOURS 
OF THE REV. JOHN SMITH, 
late of Sheffield. By Richard Tref- 
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ACCOUNT OF THE EXPE- 
RIENCE OF HESTER ANN 
ROGERS ; and her funeral sermon, 
by Rev. T. Coke, LL.D. To which 
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LIFE OF HENRYLONGDEN, 
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CATALOGUE OF BOOKS. 



EXPERIENCE AND GOSPEL 
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LIFE AND LABOURS OF 
THE LATE REV. JOHN VAL- 
TON ; written by himself, and now 
edited, with many additions and let- 
ters, by Joseph Sutcliffe, A. M. 
18mo. 88 

MEMOIR, DIARY, AND LET- 
TERS, OF MISS HANNAH S. 
BUNTING, of Philadelphia, who 
depa.ted this Life May 25, 1832, in 
the thirty-first year of her age. Coni- 
piled by Rev. T. Merritt. In two 
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A MEMOIR OF MR. WILLIAM 
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MEMOIR OF REV. PEARD 
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MEMOIRS OF MRS. ELIZA- 
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THE WALL'S END MINER; 
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Blacksmith," etc. 



37 



LIFE OF MRS. COOPER, of 
London, who departed this life June 
22, 1832, in the twenty-sixth ye:ii of 
her age : extracted from her diary and 
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CALVINISTIC CONTROVER- 
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CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. 
By Adarn Clarke, LL. D., F. A. S., 



I selected from his pub.ished and un 
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CHRISTIANS' MANUAL; a 
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CHRISTIAN PATTERN; or, 
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CHRISTIAN PERFECTION, 

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CHRISTIANITY, INTRODUC- 

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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 
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PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, or 

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REFORMED PASTOR ; show- 
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World 12 

Mr. Drew on the Divinity 

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death of Rev. Dr. Fisk 12 

of Rev. P. P. Sandford on 

Baptism 12 
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TRIAL OF THE WITNESSES 
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WATSON'S BIBLICAL AND 
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neighbouring nations. With an 
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WATSON'S APOLOGY FOR 



THE BIBLE. In a series of letters, 
addressed to Thomas Paine, Author 
of the ^'Age of Reason." 18mo. 50 

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paper, sheep 4 50 

YOUTH'S MAGAZINE, vol. 1, 
12mo. 1 00 

ENGRAVINGS. 

A view of the old Methodist 
Church in John-street, being the 
first Methodist Episcopal Church in 
" ' ■ D., 

25 
25 



the United States, founded, A. 
1767. Quarto. 
Last Supper. 



PORTRAITS OF MINISTERS. 
Folio, — Rev. John V/esley, price 
75 cents each. 

Quarto, 25 cents each. — Charles 
Giles, Oliver Beale, George Picker- 
ing, Richard Watson, Alfred Bran- 
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Henry Chase, George Gary, John 
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Harraan, John Fletcher, Freeborn 
Garrettson, Joseph Benson, Samuel 
Luckey. 

Octavo, — 12^ cejits each. 
John We.sley, John W. Fletcher, 
Adam Clarke, Freeborn Garrettson, 
John Seys, Charles Pittman, Stephen 
Martindale, Charles Giles, James 
Quinn, Samuel Luckey, George 
Pickering, Oliver BeaLe, Stephen 
G. Roszel, George Gary, Alfred 
Prunson, Robert Hopkins, Manning 
Force. 

Miscellaneous, without discount' 

Class books leather covers, each 20 

Lovefeast Tickets per lOOO 60 

Marriage Certificates per doz. 38 

Do do larger size with 

engraving, per doz. 50 



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